Flaming Light& Shadowy Ice
by kittehninja
Summary: Abel, Leon, and Tres have been captured but what happens when they are rescued by two teenage girls with wierd powers but aren't vampires and they claim that only the Vatican can help save their race? Not good with summaries...
1. Chapter 1

I don't own any of the Trinity Blood charaters...

Chapter 1

"…Where am I what's going on?" A white haired man asked drowsily his deep blue eyes looked glazed over and distant. There was a cup of sugar filled tea on a table beside him.

"It's alright Father Nightroad now tell me why you and your two little friends came here." A man softly spoke looking at the priest his pale green eyes filled with disgust and hatred.

"We…we were sent here from the Vatican…A.X. division…to investigate…no this isn't right…where are my friends?" Nightroad asked his blue eyes beginning to gain shine and focus. The green eyed man scowled and turned.

"Perhaps I put too little of the truth serum in your tea Father. We will talk later but your friends are safe…for now that is." The man said laughing walking out of the room as Nightroad lost conscious.

… … …

"Ah man what hit me my head hurts like heck…where's Abel?" A tall dark haired man asked his dark navy blue eyes shifted around the room looking for Abel but to no avail. Then he saw another person in the room his hair was light brown almost burnt sepia and his eyes were shut.

"Hey Gunslinger you awake?" He asked when Gunslinger opened his eyes to reveal two crimson orbs. He glanced around quickly before seeing the man who spoke.

"Positive Father Leon where is Father Abel Nightroad?" Gunslinger asked Leon tugging at his shackles, when the door opened to reveal a dark curly haired man whose face was shrouded in shadows.

"Who the heck are you?" Leon asked coldly tugging the restraints.

"Tsk, tsk how rude. My name is Tyran and I welcome you to my humble home." Tyran said stepping out of the shadows to reveal his pale green eyes and cynical smile.

"Some welcome, where's Abel?" Leon asked aggravation in his voice. Both men glared at Tyran as he walked closer.

"Abel…oh you men Father Nightroad, I'm afraid he won't be joining you just yet." Tyran replied smirking at the two.

"What have you done with Abel?" Leon shouted rage filled his eyes. Gunslinger merely watched his face emotionless as Leon fought against the shackles.

"Calm down I haven't done anything to him so if you will just follow me." Tyran said gesturing the two to follow him as the shackles fell. Leon charged at Tyran but was stopped by Gunslinger.

"Wha- Gunslinger let me go!" Leon exclaimed struggling to free himself but to no avail.

"Negative…" He stated flatly tightening his grip on Leon as he began to struggle more.

"But he's done something t- ugh…Abel." Leon whispered as he lost conscious and Gunslinger released his pressure point.

"Good work Gunslinger I knew having an android on our side would be good. Now follow me we have to pick up Father Nightroad." Tyran said laughing as the other followed him his face emotionless. When they reached the other room Tyran saw that Abel had regained conscious.

"Gunslinger, grab him and bring him with us…use force if necessary." Tyran said laughing as Gunslinger grabbed Abel and began to drag him out of the room Leon passed out on his back.

"Gunslinger what's gotten in to you? Let me go hang on!" Abel exclaimed as Gunslinger was about to punch him.

"Tyran! That is quite enough!" A woman shouted as all three men turned around to see her.

"Oh Flame Princess Alma what brings you," Tyran began but stopped as another woman appeared behind Gunslinger and grabbed something off his neck. As soon as it was off his eyes went from crimson to a light honey brown. He then released Father Abel and set Leon down who was slowly waking up. "And Shadow Princess Scarlet down here?" Tyran nervously asked.

"What were you doing Tyrant?" Alma demanded her dark brown eyes narrowed at him and Scarlet's hazel eyes glaring at him as well.

"Need you call me that Princess?" He asked wincing at his nickname. Even though they didn't show it he could tell both women were mad very mad he knew he was in trouble.

"I asked you what were you doing a second ago now answer the question!" Alma commanded a scowl appearing on her face eyes blazing.

"Perhaps you could start with why that one had this reprograming chip on him? Well Tyrant." Scarlet coldly said holding a small chip in the air her hazel eyes bore holes in him.

"Uh…you see…I um…" Tyran stammered but was interrupted by Leon.

"That bastard put that chip on Gunslinger and made him his puppet! He had him knock me out and was about to harm Abel!" He shouted glaring at Tyran. Abel and Gunslinger nodded in agreement.

"I see…well then perhaps you should let your anger out on him then." Scarlet said smirking evilly as Tyran began to sweat and fidget even more shaking his head.

"NO! You shouldn't do that." Alma and Abel exclaimed in unison.

"Why not?" Leon and Scarlet asked.

"Because violence isn't the answer." Abel said nervously. Leon and Scarlet scoffed.

"I agree besides it isn't our place to punish Tyrant yet…and I emphasize yet…now I suggest you leave my sight before I change my mind Tyrant." Alma said waving him off.

"Yes Princess." Tyran said in a rushed tone as he bowed and ran off behind her. She began walking towards the group quickly glaring at Scarlet who glared back.

"I hope he didn't hurt you Father…Tyran can be rather…oh what's the word I'm looking for Scarlet?" Alma asked tapping her chin.

"I can think of plenty of words that you'd never say but how about jerk or like his namesake a tyrant." Scarlet replied smirking then went back to looking at the chip.

"Yes we're fine thank you Prin-" Abel began when Scarlet held her hand up to stop.

"Don't call us princess unless you're an enemy, just Scarlet or Alma will do Father Nightroad." Scarlet said harshly to a shocked Abel glancing at him then turned her focus back to the small chip in her hand.

"Oh well then you can just call me Abel." He said smiling softly at the two earning him a nod from both.

"I like it but you have a neat last name I mean how often do you meet someone with the last name Nightroad. Oh yeah that reminds me how is your head does it hurt." Alma said quickly trying to change the subject and looked at Gunslinger concern in her eyes.

"Systems fully repaired and fully functional." He said rubbing his neck.

"I take it that means you're okay…um I don't know your names so what are they." She asked softly looking at Leon.

"My name's Leon and that's Gunslinger." Leon said pointing towards Gunslinger.

"That's too long of a name though it is cool how about Guns or Slinger…nah how about Guns?" Alma asked beaming at Gunslinger, who had a very confused expression on his face.

"Negative my name is Father Tres Iqus codename Gunslinger."He said in a monotone voice. Alma began to pout and started muttering something about stupid android can't take a joke.

"I liked Guns better but I guess I could call you Tres that sounds better anyway…you three should follow us we need to get you out of here and back to the Vatican." Alma said motioning them to follow her and Scarlet down the hall.

"Do you think we can trust these girls?" Leon whispered to his comrades.

"They have done nothing to make us distrust them Father Leon in fact they saved us." Tres said flatly.

"True but Tyran acted like he knew them and he seemed to know they're higher up in the chain of command. I suggest we follow them at least until we reach some place familiar." Abel said and the other two nodded as they looked to see the two ladies were waiting Scarlet was watching them and Alma was looking around worriedly.

"Have you decided to trust us?" Scarlet asked when the three man nodded she smiled and turned to Alma and began talking quietly.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Why do we need them to trust us again?" Scarlet whispered to Alma who was still looking around.

"We need their help to save our kind and the Vatican might be able the only ones who can help us…" Alma said softly sadness filled her eyes Scarlet nodding in understanding.

"Quickly you must hurry to make up for lost time." Alma said as both women began to run down the hall with the men following close behind. They ran down the hall for several minutes passing a few doors but then they stopped as they approached a very small wooden door with a lock on it. "Do you have the key Scarlet?" She asked Scarlet nodded in return and handed a small golden key to her. Alma opened the door and ushered everyone inside quietly down some stairs she and Scarlet entered last and locked the door behind them. The three men looked around and saw that they were in an underground room filled with water and boats.

"What is this place-AHHH?" Abel exclaimed as he walked off the edge and into a boat. Scarlet and Alma turned to see what had happened.

"Father Abel damage report." Tres said as Abel stood up and brushed himself off smiling and laughing lightly.

"I'm alright Tres." Abel said stepping back onto the stone when Alma and Scarlet came down both whacked him on the head.

"You idiot quite being so clumsy before they hear us now get in the boat and be quiet." Scarlet said pushing him into the boat causing him to fall flat on his face while Leon and Tres followed.

"Father Abel damage report." Tres said sitting down looking at Abel.

"Scarlet you didn't have to do that, Abel are you okay?" Alma asked glaring at Scarlet who shrugged.

"I'm fine thanks for the concern you two…" Abel said getting up and sitting down next to Tres.

"Alright guys hold on to your seats next stop Rome the Vatican!" Scarlet exclaimed starting the engine and began to go at a break-neck speed catching every one besides Alma off guard even Tres was nearly thrown off.

"AHHHHHH! SLOW DOWN!" Leon and Abel shouted as they raced through the tunnels Abel clinging to Tres and Leon clinging to Alma both looking very uncomfortable.

"No way this is too much fun, awww Leon you and Alma look so cute together." Scarlet said laughing as Alma turned bright red glaring at Scarlet and Leon released her mumbling sorry.

"I'll get you later. Just watch!" Alma stated growling towards Scarlet who laughed as Leon and Abel trembled.

"Father Abel will you release me I don't feel very comfortable." Tres said as Abel released him, Scarlet laughing as they reached the end of the catacombs into the cool night air the full moon giving light to the dark sea that they were crossing still the same speed as before.

"Scarlet slow down if you continue at this speed you'll draw the Vatican's attention, knowing them they'll think we kidnapped their priests and did something to them, we don't want them to think we're their enemies when we're only trying to help." Alma said as Scarlet nodded and slowed down, when they heard gun shots from behind them.

"YOU STINKIN' TRAITORS COME BACK HERE NOW!" Someone shouted as they fired off more rounds one pegging Alma in her right shoulder.

"AGH…TYRAN GO AWAY LEAVE US BE…WE'RE ONLY TRYING TO HELP!" Alma shouted panic and pain filled her voice as she was holding her wound.

"DO I LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT YOU'RE BOTH TRAITORS YOU'VE DECIDED TO TURN TO THE VATICAN WHEN WE CAN HANDLE OUR OWN MATTERS!" Tyran shouted as Tres removed is guns and fired hitting Tyran in his left arm.

"Tres don't shoot him, sit down." Scarlet scolded Tres he nodded and put his guns away and sat down.

"WE AREN'T TRAITORS WE NEED THEIR HELP TYRAN AND YOU KNOW THAT, YOU'RE JUST BLINDED BY SHADOW'S LIES YOU CAN'T EVEN TELL WHOSE FRIEND OR FOE…PLEASE TRUST US TYRAN I'M BEGGING YOU." Alma pleaded looking at Tyran sadness filled her eyes. Tyran nodded his eyes flickered for a moment.

"Alright…I'll trust you but you have to hurry." Tyran said holding his wounded arm and began to turn around waving to Alma and Scarlet.

"Ugh…Scarlet hurry…my shoulder hurts, how much further?" Alma asked holding her wound.

"Not much further I'm afraid we're going to have to walk the rest of the way though." Scarlet said her eyes held concern as she slowed the boat down even further when they were near the city.

"Hey maybe they could tell us what they're hiding?" Leon whispered looking at Scarlet.

"Leon…now's not the time I'm sure they'll explain everything once we reach Cardinal Catarina." Abel softly spoke when both girls nodded.

"You know we can hear you right, but don't worry we will explain once we get Alma patched up, that bullet's stopping her wound from healing as quickly as it should. We're here." Scarlet said stopping at an abandoned dock and helping everyone up. Tres was carrying Alma who grumbled about being able to walk without his help but she was pale.

"We should hurry Princess Alma has lost a lot of blood." Tres flatly said earning him an earful of Alma yelling at him, Scarlet laughed as everyone shook their heads and they ran towards the Vatican. They arrived there a few minutes later everyone out of breath besides Tres and Alma who was still fuming about being called Princess Alma.

"Halt you cannot go any further until you have presented your IDs." A guard said harshly. The three men showed them their IDs.

"What about the two girls do they have IDs?" The guard asked pointing towards the girls.

"They are with us and present no threat to the Vatican. This one is wounded and needs medical attention." Tres said the guard nodded and allowed all five of them to pass. Once inside Tres requested a doctor and Abel went off to find Cardinal Catarina.

… … … …

"Lady Catarina we have some guest that wish to speak with you." Abel said running into the room nearly running into another man with long dark brown hair. "Oh excuse me Father Havel." Abel said Havel nodded turning towards a blonde hair women.

"Who is it Abel? What do they want?" She asked standing up looking at Abel with her piercing emerald eyes.

"There is two of them one called Scarlet and another called Alma she has been shot and is at the infirmary, please follow me Lady Catarina. They want to ask you for help, I'm not sure why though but they did rescue us." Abel as Lady Catarina nodded and began to follow him towards the ward with Havel behind her.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Agh… that hurt danget, heh-heh there is no way your sticking that needle in me!" Alma shouted running out of the infirmary away from the shocked doctor with a very big hypodermic needle.

"ALMA, GET YOUR ARSE BACK HERE NOW!" Scarlet shouted charging after the escapee.

"TRES, LEON HELP ME CATCH HER BEFORE SHE HURTS HERSELF OR SOMEONE ELSE!" Scarlet commanded the other two as they began to chase after Alma, Tres quickly catching up to her. He was about to catch her when she turned a sharp corner into the courtyard making him hit a pillar.

"Hahaha, you should watch were you're going Tres." Alma said laughing as she continued her escape not seeing Lady Catarina in front of her on the walk way and smashing smack dab into her.

"Owwww, I'm sorry I wasn't watching were I was going." Alma said getting up off of Catarina who was still dazed. Abel turned around to see Alma rubbing her nose and Havel looked stunned as well.

"It's okay I don't believe I've seen you before what is your name?" Catarina said standing up brushing herself off she was still a little dazed but quickly got over it.

"Oh Alma why aren't you in the infirmary?" Abel asked when they heard Leon shouting and Alma ran and hid behind Catarina.

"Hey ya brat quite being a baby and get out from behind Lady Catarina." Leon ordered but Alma shook her head and stuck her tongue out at him. When Tres came from behind her and picked her up by the back of her shirt.

"Hey let go of me you can't make me take that stupid shot!" She shouted twisting up and kicking him in the face making him let go of her and stumble backwards shocking everyone especially Catarina when Scarlet arrived.

"Tres, Leon stand down if that is Alma then that one over there must be Scarlet." Catarina asked as both girls nodded and Scarlet walked closer bumping into Catarina and quickly muttering a sorry. She went and stood next to Alma whacking her in her right shoulder.

"OWWWWW, that's my wounded shoulder…" Alma whimpered holding her shoulder Scarlet smirked and said I know both girls then began to brawl throwing punches, kicks, and even clawing each other. "Why you jerk hitting an injured person for no good reason!" Alma shouted kicking Scarlet who barely dodged.

"Oh I had a reason running out of the infirmary like a little kid and all because of a little needle!" Scarlet taunted punching Alma who barely dodged when she grabbed her right hand with her own digging her nails into Scarlet's skin with Scarlet doing the same. Both girls' nails going deeper and both refusing to give up.

"That's not a good reason did you even see that thing it was like five inches long and he wanted to stick it in me!" Alma said growling gripping Scarlet's hand tighter refusing to let go.

"That is a good reason, give up!" Scarlet demanded growling gripping Alma's hand tighter.

"Not until you apologize." Alma said Scarlet shook her head as both of them winced in pain.

"Should we stop them?" Havel asked quietly Lady Catarina nodded and whispered to Tres to stop them but not to harm them. Leon and Abel looked at each other uneasily wondering if that was such a good idea.

"Um…Lady Catarina I'm not sure if that was such a good idea…" Abel whispered Leon and Havel nodding in agreement and then Tres picked up both girls.

"ATTACK!" The girls shouted. Scarlet flipped upwards and kicked his head while Alma swung and kicked his diaphragm with both legs causing him to flip sideways and backwards. When both girls looked to see who they attacked and saw Tres they ran over to him.

"Tres are you okay? Our battle is over agreed." Alma said looking at Scarlet and helping Tres up dusting him off.

"Agreed." Scarlet said straightening his clothes and dusting him off. As everyone walked over.

"Wow we really whacked you hard, eh." Alma said patting him on the back as Scarlet chuckled. Both girls began rubbing the wounds they received from the other.

"Affirmative, human girls your age should not have that much strength. Are you vampires?" Tres asked in a monotone voice. Both girls glaring at him and Alma seemed especially offended.

"NO…we aren't vampires and I think you're just mad because you got you metal butt kicked by a couple of girls." Alma said smirking at him.

"Negative I don't get mad." Tres answered looking at Alma and Scarlet both grumbled about having no sense of humor.

"So what did you two want to talk about since you obviously aren't normal humans or vampires so what are you?" Catarina asked both girls looking at her, their faces went from playful and eyes shining to serious and cold.

"You're right we're not human or vampire we're well…" Scarlet began looking at Alma.

"I suppose we're guardians of sorts." Alma finished looking at everyone shock written all over their faces.

"Guardians of what...?" Catarina asked, both girls sighed and seemed to be in deep thought.

"I am the Guardian of the Shadow and Ice also known as the Shadowy Ice Princess." Scarlet said as everyone was enveloped within shadows and ice formed everywhere making every one shiver besides Alma who's hands became enveloped in flames.

"I am the Guardian of the Flame and Light also known as the Flaming Light Princess." Alma said as lights and flames broke through the shadows and ice. Then it all disappeared and they were standing in the courtyard again.

"What in the…what are you two?" Leon asked being the first to recover from shock.

"We told you already we're guardians, now back to business the reason why we need your help is because our race is dying out and we needed someone who is able to help us we don't have a lot of time though." Alma said sadness filled her eyes as she looked towards the ground Scarlet nodded looking equally if not more sad.

"This person is at the Vatican?" Catarina asked shocked when both girls nodded their heads.

"What you're so young, how could you already be dying…"Abel shakily said sympathy in his voice looking at the two.

"Heh we're older than we look Abel. We've been around since way before Armageddon …but you're right we are young for our kind but we need one key thing to live…and that is…I can't tell you." Alma said looking at Scarlet her eyes silently pleading for help.

"Why not?" Havel asked softly. Both girls seemed to be thinking about how to answer that question without confusing them.

"Because it's against our code of honor we mustn't tell anyone other than those of our kind what we need to survive…" Scarlet boldly answered looking around as everyone nodded.

"I understand but how can we help your kind if you don't tell us?" Catarina asked looking at the two understanding in her voice.

"Well we can't tell you till we fully trust you and not just one of you but I mean all of you. We need to know that we can trust anyone of you at any given moment or situation with our lives without a doubt in our minds. It may not seem hard but it is very hard to gain our trust fully. Now let me assure you that we trust you already but not fully and we don't expect you to trust us fully right now either." Alma calmly stated Catarina nodded.

"Very well then you can make yourselves at home while you're here." She said turning and walking away back towards her office.

"Good cause my shoulder hurts and I just want to sleep." Alma said holding her shoulder when Scarlet scoffed and laughed.

"You're going to bed without supper? We haven't eaten in a while you really must be tired…" Scarlet stated when Alma's stomach growled. "…but then again." Scarlet said Alma laughed weakly blushing as she rubbed her stomach.

"That's right we didn't eat since yesterday morning. Hey Catarina what's for supper?" Alma asked shyly.

"I don't think it's cooked yet." She answered Alma's eyes lit up and Scarlet shook her head smiling.

"Now you've gone and done it Catarina." Scarlet said Catarina looked at her with a quizzical look making Scarlet laugh.

"Alright how do I get to the kitchen?" Alma asked pointing this way and that.

"It's down the corridor to your right. Why?" Catarina asked when Alma took off running in that direction.

"I'm going to cook!" Alma shouted turning the corner laughing like a maniac.

"Alma you can't cook last time you…Hey listen to me while I'm talking to you!" Scarlet shouted but Alma didn't even answer. "I don't feel like chasing after her. I sure hope you guys are hungry…" Scarlet said lazily glancing around as she sighed.

"ALRIGHT THEY HAVE GROUND BEEF, A CHIEF'S GRILL, AND BUNS…THAT MEANS I CAN COOK HAMBURGERS!" Alma shouted from the kitchen.

"Well it's not that bad she can cook pretty good burgers. HEY ALMA, FIX ME A GRILLED CHICKEN SALAD." Scarlet shouted everyone stared at her. "What she makes good salads?" Scarlet asked everyone shook their head, when a tall blonde haired man walked in looking at Scarlet who smiled and waved.

"There you are Hugue. This is Scarlet she'll be staying here for a while." Catarina said as Hugue nodded and left.

"Scarlet what happened the last time she cooked?" Leon asked Scarlet laughed nervously.

"Well…" She began but was interrupted by a huge bang coming from the kitchen.

"AHHHH THE PANS ARE ALIVE!" They heard Alma shout from the kitchen.

"What was that?" Havel asked when they saw Alma and Hugue come running out of the kitchen Alma was covered from head to toe in flour, sugar, and dripping with water, while Hugue had a large pot filled with noodles on his head.

"Why did you sneak up on me who are you anyway?" Alma asked glaring at him a low growl escaped her throat as she wiped the gunk off.

"I'm Father Hugue I just went in there to get a drink of water I didn't mean to scare you. Who are you?" He asked taking the pot off as the noodles slid off of him.

"Me, oh I'm Alma." She answered holding her hand out to shake.

"That's what happened…except it was Tyran she was banned from the kitchen after that." Scarlet said laughing.

"Hey it's not funny to make fun of my reactions!" Alma snapped flinging the gunk at Scarlet hitting her in the face.

"Direct hit!" She exclaimed laughing as Scarlet glared at her.

"Not funny…" Scarlet muttered as she wiped it off her face and flung it at Alma who ducked behind Abel.

"Ah, you hit Abel…retreat!" Alma shouted running away as Scarlet chased her.

"Oh, no you don't get back here! Whoa!" Scarlet yelled slipping on the gunk as Alma ran back towards the kitchen.

"Are you okay?" Abel asked towering over Scarlet who groaned as she sat up she glared in the direction Alma went. "I swear I'll get her." She muttered dusting herself off.

"Are you two related?" Hugue suddenly asked looking at Scarlet.

"Yeah we are actually we're cousins. How'd you know?" She asked, nodding her head.

"Well how you were acting somewhat gave it away." He answered shrugging walking away when Alma came running out and smacked into him nearly dropping the platter she was carrying.

"Ow! That's twice in one day alright who wants to try my first burger on the grill?" Alma asked holding the platter then she looked at Hugue an evil gleam in her eye.

"How 'bout you for scaring me." She said handing the platter to him he looked at it confusion on his face.

"I told you it was an accident…mph." Hugue grunted as Alma pushed it in his stomach a pleading look in her eyes.

"Please I'll be your best friend." She said pleading Scarlet shook her head and sighed. Hugue grumbled about how he was going to regret it as he picked up the burger and took a bite his eyes lit up but he quickly closed them.

"Well…" She asked he shrugged and chewed.

"It's okay." He answered flatly Alma whimpered and turned towards Scarlet.

"Meep…he said it was okay…" She whimpered slouching Scarlet pat her back.

"It's alright at least he didn't say it was horrible or spit it out…right?" Scarlet said smiling Alma sniffed and nodded smiling.

"You're right! He just doesn't have any taste for homemade food." Alma said laughing Scarlet laughed slightly.

"Not what I meant…but okay." She said Hugue shook his head Alma turned and walked back towards the kitchen.

"Next up is your chicken salad." She said turning the corner.

"You know it was actually pretty good." Hugue mused Scarlet glared at him.

"You lied! Have you no decency she takes what you say seriously, you have to be careful how you choose your wording!" She scolded him punching him in the arm.

"It's hard to believe that we haven't even known them for a day…yet they act like they've known us forever." Abel whispered Leon nodded when they saw Stella come out with a plate in her hand.

"Alright one chicken salad with ranch dressing, you'd be surprised just what they have in their kitchen it's almost like the one back at that one place." Alma said handing the plate to Scarlet.

"Thanks…um what one place you mean that one place?" She asked Alma nodded and smiled.

"Now what should I cook next, maybe a hickory burger or fish…I think I saw fish, they have a fryer that looks like it was never used…maybe some French fries…hmm." Alma mused, walking back to the kitchen when Scarlet grabbed her arm.

"Hang on Hugue wants to say something…right Hugue?" Scarlet said glaring at him he sighed and nodded.

"…um…that thing…" He began but Alma interrupted him.

"Cheese burger." She stated bluntly looking annoyed arms crossed over her chest.

"What?" He asked in a confused tone.

"That 'thing' is called a cheese burger but anyways continue…" Alma stated waving for him to continue. His eyebrow twitched slightly.

"Well the cheese burger was pretty good…" Hugue softly said as Alma nodded and looked at him.

"If you're trying to say sorry or that was better than 'okay' forget it." Alma said in a bored tone walking away leaving a baffled Hugue.

"Oh boy she's mad leave her alone if you don't want to get hurt." Scarlet said sitting down on the ground fork and plate in hand and began to devour it.

"Why do you say that?" Havel asked she looked up and thought for a minute.

"Well she's got a short temper already but you wouldn't think it but when she's mad she doesn't control her temper that well and plus she can be bit of a jerk." Scarlet said eating some more of her salad.

"How do you know she's mad? She just seemed a little irritated not like she was waiting to explode." Leon said Scarlet chuckled and shook her head.

"You're right she's not going to explode yet it's when she's completely silent that you need to worry. Though she usually gets over it pretty quickly I've never actually seen her explode…but there's a fist time for everything…" Scarlet mused quietly finishing off her plate the others looked around nervously hoping to avoid the angry teen and let her calm down.

"…alright I'm going to bed that's probably where Alma went." She said standing up and walking away.

"Hang on I didn't tell you where you two were staying." Catarina said when Scarlet held up a key.

"You don't think we're just sweet innocent kids do you? I took these when I bumped into. I gave Alma hers when she handed me my plate. We aren't just sugar, spice, and everything nice at least I'm not Alma's closer to that." She said smiling an evil smile waltzing away.

"Remind me never to let her get near my wallet…or anything else that has value." Abel sighed.

"What do you mean, you're always broke!" Leon shouted Abel smiled and laughed nervously.

"…you should be talking Leon you never have any money." Hugue stated calmly turning and walking away leaving a ticked Leon.

"Why that little…I'll kill him!" Leon seethed Abel retraining him.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Oi I feel much better after taking a nap…Oh man this is delicious what is it?" Alma chirped wolfing down her plate which had three eggs over easy, two slices of turkey, pancakes, and some sort of colorful exotic fruit with a cup of unsweetened tea and orange juice. Everyone was staring at her wondering how someone so small could eat so much.

"I never thought I'd say this but she eats as much as Abel, Hugue come in here in look at this!" Leon exclaimed excitedly as a tall blonde haired man came in wearing a dark brown cloak. When Alma saw him she smiled and waved.

"I know that's my cousin for you she can eat like a horse." Scarlet said as she ate her pancake, grilled chicken salad, two scrambled eggs, with orange juice and semi-sweet tea.

"Hiya, good morning, howdy partner, whichever suites you best Hugue." Alma gleefully said swallowing her mouthful. He merely nodded.

"Hi." Scarlet said waving he nodded towards her as well.

"Oh Alma how much sugar do you want in your tea?" Abel asked sweetly holding a cup of something in his hand.

"What is that?" She asked looking at the glob in his cup he smiled and began laughing.

"It's my tea I always put thirteen cubes in it." He said smiling at an astounded Alma.

"Gimme, I wanna try it." She said taking the cup from Abel.

"You're going to regret that Alma." Scarlet said as Alma stuck her tongue out at her and took a sip and immediately spit it out at Abel. Scarlet started to crack up along with everyone else at the table even the silent Hugue.

"Gross that isn't tea that's sugar that taste like tea just let me put it in by myself. I don't trust you with sugar. Besides that's too much sugar you're gonna be hyper all day…I wonder if I could caramelize it?" Alma murmured sighing and took the sugar cubes from his other hand and began to put a few in it tasting it every now and then, she finally stopped at seventeen sugar cubes.

"No just let it stew a moment…hey give me my tea back!" Alma said as Hugue pick up her cup by mistake and swallowed it whole. He looked at her and saw that he had her cup and his was beside hers.

"How many cubes did you put in here it tasted like syrup?" He stated looking at her she smiled sheepishly at him and rubbed her head laughing nervously.

"Um about seven-teen give or take a few…I was actually planning on doing an experiment with it I wasn't going to drink it I was going to see if you could caramelize the sugar in the tea still…but I guess I could see how seven-teen cubes effect people who hardly have any sugar." Alma mumbled the last part as Hugue glared at her.

"That's more than Abel…" He whispered before a huge grin covered his face.

"Um Hugue are you okay?" Leon asked as Hugue began to laugh like a lunatic scaring both Scarlet and Alma out of their chairs Alma began to back away slowly.

"Actually I've never felt better! Could I have some more sugar Abel?" Hugue asked coming closer to Abel when Alma grabbed the sugar and ran like she was being chased which she was by a sugar happy Hugue.

"No, no more sugar for you Hugue stay back beast, back…Tres protect me from the sugar crazed lunatic Hugue!" Alma shouted hiding behind Tres who had just walked into the room only to get hit in the face with a plate full of pancakes and syrup. Alma then bolted and hid behind a chair Hugue right at her heels.

"Scarlet catch, Don not I repeat do not allow Hugue to get the sugar protect it with your life!" Alma shouted as she tossed the sugar to Scarlet when Hugue was about to tackle her.

"Huh why through it to me AIIIEEEE!" Scarlet shouted as she turned and ran to the other side of the table and hid behind Leon as Hugue jumped over the table about to land on her. She set the sugar in front of Leon as he came charging at them both.

"That's right little Hugue, come and get the sugar nice Leon has for you…now when he get close enough through this at him it's a knock out bomb it won't hurt him." Scarlet whispered to Leon as Hugue came closer.

"You sure…" Leon said questionably looking at her with skepticism in his voice.

"Yep pretty sure…NOW!" She shouted when he threw the bomb it exploded sending all three of them back knocking Hugue out when he hit the other wall.

"Scarlet you idiot, that was a miniature explosion! Oi, what am I going to do with you?" Alma asked as she walked over to Hugue who only had a few bruises but nothing to serious.

"Tres could you take Father Hugue to his room…Leon are you okay?" Alma asked beginning to walk towards the two. Tres lifted Hugue and left the room pancakes and syrup still on his face and clothes.

"Ugh…I'm fine just a few bruises and some small cuts, how about you Scarlet?" Leon asked as Scarlet rose up grumbling about how she should've marked those stupid things.

"Fine but you landed on top of when we hit the wall which hurt because you're heavier than me." She snapped scowling popping her bones as she walked over towards everyone. Leon mumbled an apology but said it was her fault for not knowing the difference between her own weapons. She glared at him after he said that. Alma shook her head slowly.

"Scarlet quite glaring, you know it's true." Alma said helping Leon up. Scarlet scoffed and said it wasn't her fault knock out bombs look like her explosions.

"Alma, Scarlet I've been meaning to ask you two about this but on the boat while Tyran was chasing us you mentioned someone called Shadow who is he?" Abel asked looking at the two, his eyes held curiosity in them.

"Yes do tell them who Shadow is Alma." Scarlet said slyly sitting down on a chair.

"Huh why me, you should tell them." Alma shot back angrily stomping her foot down.

"You know I'm no good at telling people things so just do it and quite whining ya baby." Scarlet taunted Alma, who was fuming and looked like she was about to murder someone.

"Fine…" She grumbled glaring at Scarlet and taking a seat next to Tres who had returned not a pancake or syrup stain on him.

"Now where should I start with Shadow…?" Alma mused quietly thinking about all the things she knew about Shadow.

"How about from the beginning sounds like a good start right." Scarlet suggested shrugging her shoulders when Alma glared at her.

"Obviously but what part…Alright I got it now watch closely and don't speak until I am through, I am going to show you…" Alma stated looking at everyone as the room was enveloped in a bright light.

"Huh what's this…?" Leon said but was quickly shushed by Scarlet.

"Hush and watch." She said bluntly as Leon nodded.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

When the light faded it showed a young boy with spikey black hair, ocean blue eyes, wearing a dark green graphic-tee and dark blue jeans he was smiling and laughing. Beside him were two young girls and a young boy. One girl had dark chocolate brown eyes, dark brown almost black hair flying loose with a hat on, a caramel skin tone, and she wore a red shirt that had a rose and jeans. The other girl had light ivory skin, hazel eyes, light brown with blonde streaked hair in a high pony tail, she wore a light blue shirt that had two hearts and dark jeans. The other young boy had pale green eyes, darker than caramel skin, and short dark brown curly hair, with a black graphic tee and jeans on. All the kids were smiling and laughing, just enjoying the sunshine and cool breeze.

"Shadow, Alma, Scarlet, Tyran, Scooby-Doo is on don't you want to watch it?" Someone said from inside the house.

"Come on guys Scooby-Doo is on." Shadow excitedly called them to the others who quickly followed him.

"Alright, right behind you Shadow!" Alma hollered from inside.

"Hey wait up you two." Scarlet and Tyran stated bringing up the rear.

"Oh, Scarlet, Scarlet, Scarlet, Scarlet, Scarlet, Scarlet, Scarlet!" A very excited Shadow and Alma shouted from inside.

"What! Will you two quick saying my name!" Scarlet answered a very annoyed expression on her face.

"Scarlet, look it." Alma said showing her a picture with the four kids laughing at a waterpark.

"Huh what's this?" Scarlet asked taking the picture and examining it carefully.

"It's us at the Big Splash waterpark remember that's where you and Shadow got sunburned because you didn't want to put on sunblock." Alma answered happily laughing as Scarlet sighed but began laughing too.

"Yeah I remember me and Shadow were tomatoes for months." She said sitting on the couch when Scooby-Doo came on and all the kids sat down on the couch enjoying the show. Laughing at the characters silliness and cheering on Scooby and his gang who were fighting the villains. When the show came to an ended the scene melted away revealing another scene the same kids but older and in a rural part of a city.

"Shadow come on Alitura wants to talk to us." Tyran said pulling an unhappy Shadow out the door he looked similar but now he wore a black shirt that had a strange pattern on it and pants that had chains on the pockets he also had more muscle. Tyran looked the same but with a dark blue graphic tee shirt on and loose black slacks he too had more muscle.

"Why? You know what Ty I swear one day I'll become the leader of our kind and find some way to stop that disease from spreading." Shadow said his dark eyes shining with determination. Tyran chuckled lightly and smiled nodding his head.

"I'm sure ya will Shad but you have to wait until Alitura dies you know and judging by her strength that won't be for a long time Shad." Tyran said as Shadow began to pout and grumble.

"I know but still I'm strong I can out live her. What's she want to talk to us about anyway?" Shadow asked as they neared a brick building that looked like it was abandoned. When they reached the entrance they saw Alma and Scarlet there they looked the same but more mature somehow. Alma had tiger shirt and jeans on with her hat while Scarlet had wolf shirt on and pants.

"Yo, what took ya so long?" Scarlet asked smirking waving to the two. Alma turned around and smiled at the two as they approached.

"Let me guess you had to wake up Shadow." Alma said teasingly both girls laughing as Tyran nodded his head Shadow scowled mumbling about something along the lines of a know it all.

"Aw, cheer up Shadow come on let's see what Alitura has to say." Scarlet said walking inside followed by Alma and the two boys. They began to walk down a brightly light hallway and into a spacious room filled with plants and animals of every kind, but in the center of it all was a middle aged woman with bright green hair. She had a light earthy complexion and wore a flowing dark green dress with a golden belt around her waist. Her eyes were as blue as the bluest skies and shone like the sun. There were about twenty or more in the same room a few older then the women but most were younger and even fewer younger than the four that walked in.

"I see so the last of us have arrived." She said in a silky smooth sweet voice. Everyone nodded as they looked towards the four older kids.

"Very well then I shall speak now and tell you why you have been called here…as you know our race is dying out the cause is very well known but we do not have the means to stop it." She said looking everyone in the eye as she spoke her hands gracefully moving as she said the words.

"Alitura at this rate our kind will be gone in the next millennia maybe less…how can we stop this disease?" A man asked his blazing red hair, eyes, and clothes seemed to be dancing like the flames he resembled.

"Ignis we can't stop it we can only prolong our resilience to its effects…our only hope has not arrived yet…" Alitura said sadness filled her voice as she spoke.

"When will this so called savior come, Alitura?" Another asked her icy blue hair shifted like windblown snow, while her turquoise eyes seemed to be as cold as ice.

"Many, many years from now Frost I'm nearly certain that only a small number of us will be able to live until they come." She answered shocking everyone.

"The only reason why we're in this situation in the first place is because we were sold out by a human. They are suitable replacements for our diets and they deserve it for what they did to us!" A man shouted his dark hair and eyes as black and lifeless as a shadow.

"NO, you're wrong Nox we can't live off of humans for very long it would only be a temporary solution not a permanent one besides it would only make the disease spread quicker and make the sick sicker!" Shadow argued glaring daggers Nox rage filled his eyes.

"Says a brat like you! What do you know anyways?" Nox retorted getting into a fighting stance Shadow doing the same. Everyone around Nox tried to calm him down but he refused, when he suddenly attacked Shadow who had been calmed down by his friends and wasn't paying attention.

"Nam ultricies umbra!" Scarlet shouted blasting Nox all the way back into the next wall with a large orb of shadow and ice. Nox came out of the wall at tremendous speed launching his own shadow ball when it was blocked by a large earthen wall.

"Donec terram tellus…that is enough Nox what Shadow said was true we can't live off humans unless we wish to make things worse than they are. Now calm down and allow me to finish." Alitura stated calmly as the wall lowered Nox looking at her worry filled his eyes.

"Alitura…you are sick you have caught the disease." He said lowering his head in sorrow. Everyone turned to her and she nodded telling them that it was true.

"…then you called this meeting to tell us that you didn't have much longer." Alma said after a moment of silence looking at her mentor her eyes filled with grief and pain.

"Yes…I am sorry." Alitura said a forlorn look upon her face.

"So who will lead us when you die?" Tyran asked her.

"You all are more than capable of leading your selves but you are right you will someone lead you as a whole…I have chosen to make Shadow that leader." She stated calmly looking at a surprised Shadow.

"Me?" He asked in a shocked voice. He couldn't believe what he had heard he was going to be the new leader for his people his lifelong dream and it had come true.

"Yes do you accept the responsibility Shadow?" She asked him calmly looking at him with her kind soft eyes.

"Y-yes, I mean yes of course I do I will do my best to protect our people." Shadow said beaming with pride as Alitura nodded her approval looking around everyone nodding their approval.

"Very well then Shadow from this day forth until the day you die or forfeit the title you will be the leader of our kind." Alitura said bowing down as did the others, then the scene began to melt away.

"If only she knew what he'd turn into she may have pick someone else." Alma said as the scene vanished and turned back into the Vatican's dining room. She smiled sadly as she looked at the ground not wanting to see everyone's reactions.

"Hmph Alitura may have known but she probably had hoped that he wouldn't become what he did." Scarlet said crossing her arms looking off in the distance Alma looked at her and nodded.

"That's true she had the ability to tell what the future might hold so she may have known…" She said getting up and quickly walking out of room Scarlet watched as she left. Abel turned and was about to follow her when Scarlet shook her head.

"Don't, leave her be Alitura was like a mother to us. When she died Alma cried for days not even leaving her room to eat or talk to me. She didn't start crying until after we returned home from Alitura's funeral." Scarlet said as she began to pick up the mess from earlier.

"I'm sorry but…Nox said that you're kind was sold out by a human, what did he mean?" Abel asked Scarlet stood up and set the plate she was picking up and set it on the table she looked at him pain filled her eyes.

"Just that we trusted a human…then they turned on us for money…that's why we don't trust any humans now." Scarlet said looking at the floor pain filled her voice as she spoke.

"…I'm sorry but he also said that you can feed on humans but Shadow said only temporally?" Abel asked looking at Scarlet concern filled his eyes, she looked and sighed.

"Humans have part of what we need to stay alive but we need the whole thing or it begins make us sick after an amount of time. Besides if we fed on humans it makes us lose control of our powers." She answered sighing.

"I think I get it…humans are like a weak toxin for your kind the more you devour the stronger the toxin gets and it causes your powers to destabilize and your body also degrades is that it?" Leon asked everyone looked at him shock written on their faces. Scarlet smiled and nodded.

"In a nut shell yeah…I didn't think you were smart Leon?" She teased him laughing as his eyebrow twitched and he forced a smile.

"That so well I didn't think you could be serious but apparently you can." He retorted she smiled and began to laugh even harder.

"Wow…I didn't think I'd ever say this but Alma can come up with a better come back than that." Scarlet laughed holding her sides.

"Why you little…come back here!" Leon shouted chasing Scarlet around the room when Alma walked in and was ran over by Leon, he turned and ran back over to see if she was okay when suddenly she threw her arms up and put both thumbs up.

"I'm okay! Oh, thank you Leon." She shouted as Leon helped her up Scarlet began laughing like a lunatic.

"You were serious when you said your reaction when you fall is to say 'I'm okay', that's so funny Alma." Scarlet said laughing as Alma picked up an apple and flung it at Scarlet hitting her in the head.

"That's what you get for making fun of my reactions...jerk!" She shouted flinging another apple and hitting Scarlet again.

"Ow, stop it apples hurt!" Scarlet shouted rubbing her head glaring at Alma who smiled.

"That's the point. Why else would I throw them?" She asked smirking as Scarlet began to fume picking one up and tossing it back at Alma who ducked behind Leon.

"What is it with you hitting everyone else except me?" Alma asked as the apple made contact with Leon's head.

"Not my fault you hide behind them when you're about to get hit?" Scarlet asked sighing when Cardinal Catarina came into the room an annoyed look on her face.

"I need all of you to come with me to my office, NOW!" She ordered everyone nodded and followed her, the two girls in the back silent.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hi people sorry for not updating but it takes me a little bit to decide what I want to write for the next chapter. I'll try my best from now on to update it more often um anyways I'd really like it if I had some reviews and remember since this is my first (official) fan-fiction story I'd like you to go easy or give constructive info. but you don't have to if you absolutely hate my story, which if you do sorry can't really help you I'm trying my best. And if you get tired of waiting or have some ideas you'd like or think are really good for the story PM me and I'll try my best! ON WITH THE STORY…**_

_**Chapter 6**_

"So who exactly are these two that you want me to retrieve again Mister…?" A young woman asks looking at the man in front of her. His eyes were deep dark pools of blue that seem to hold no light. His wild dark blue almost black hair cascaded in front of his eyes.

"Shadow...and I told you earlier these two that you are hunting are not to be underestimated. One of them is a master of fire and the other ice if you even barely doubt their abilities you'll regret it." He coolly says glancing lazily at the woman in front of him, her crimson eyes glaring at him.

"I'm aware of that…Shadow, but if you want me to bring them back dead it'll cost you extra." She says raising one of her thin red eye brows. Shadow merely scoffs and shakes his head.

"If I wanted them killed I'd send someone else…do you understand Iracebeth?" Shadow asks the woman her scarlet hair shadowing her face.

"Yeah, yeah I get it bring the two back alive but with the level of strength you said they were at I think it'll cost you extra." Iracebeth coolly says standing up and leaving for the door.

"Certainly if you can bring them here in one day time," Shadow calmly says a cocky smirk on his ivory face. Iracebeth scoffed and shook her stopping a moment.

"That's not possible…I'll be sure to bring them back her alive." She retorts whipping around to look at Shadow who had a smirk on his face revealing fangs.

"Well I'm glad you've seen it my way but to make sure you succeed I'm sending my right hand man with you." Shadow calls as an earthy fair colored man appeared from the door his pale green eyes glaring at Iracebeth who only reached his broad shoulders.

"I'm sure I can manage on my own, after all Shadow I'm the best of the best." Iracebeth calmly says glancing at Tyran then back to the man in front of her.

"I'm well aware of your abilities but I'm more worried that they will kill you before you even get a chance to strike…besides he's more, what's the word…um adapt to their powers I'm sure you'll need him." He taunts his smirk growing into a full smile giving him a demonic appearance.

"That's nice to say a real confidence booster Shadow! Thanks for telling me! Come'n…um didn't quite catch your name?" Iracebeth says looking at Tyran.

"…My name is Tyran…" He simply states walking to Shadow for a moment.

"I want you to be sure that she doesn't…join them per say. Could you do that for me?" Shadow whispers in Tyran's ear so Iracebeth doesn't hear their little conversation.

"I understand and if she does turn?" Tyran asks softly glancing at the tall woman for a moment a small evil smirk playing at the tips of his lips.

"Simple, do to her what you've done to the others. Kill her." Shadow calmly states a sick maniacal smile appears as he waves Tyran off in a carefree manner. Tyran just smiles, nods and walks back to the young woman who had begun tapping her foot impatiently.

"Come'n…Tyran we haven't got all day from what your boss said earlier these two are gonna be at the rendezvous point in about oh let's just say maybe ten hours IF we're lucky!" Iracebeth snaps looking at her watch as Tyran walks past her barely sparing her a quick glance making her eyebrow twitch in irritation.

"Well then we better be on our way haven't we Iracebeth we wouldn't want those two traitors to get away from us before you even have a chance to prove your worth to Shadow." Tyran smugly says opening the door and walking out into the early morning dawn the grass still wet with the previous night's dew.

"You really are a jerk aren't you?" She retorts walking past him onto the dirt road._ 'He's definitely gonna be a pain ta work with…'_ She thinks letting out a small sigh glancing back at the man behind her. He seemed to be in deep thought just lazily glancing at the morning sky which was slowly loosing is magnificent shades of soft pinks, purples, and orange to the bright blue. _'Wish I knew what he was thinking 'bout…that Shadow guy creeps me out.'_ Iracebeth thinks shivering slightly.

They'd been walking for about thirty minutes in an awkward silence when Tyran finally got tired of Iracebeth constantly glancing back at him. He sighed and tried to ignore it but she did it so often it just irritated him even more. _'Why does she keep looking back?'_ Tyran silently questions rolling his eyes as his gaze goes back to the sky a few clouds here and there but other than that it was clear.

"Why do you keep looking at me? Is there something interesting behind me?" Tyran asks breaking the silence between the two and catching Iracebeth off guard.

"No! I was just wondering why you keep looking at the sky?" She quickly retorts as the gentle breeze slowly grew into a swift breeze but a breeze all the same.

"That so I bet you'd like to know the answer, huh Iracebeth?" He sarcastically asks smirking slightly. _'…stupid Shadow ordering me around like that…'_ Tyran thinks as a sharp pain in his head makes him grunt and stop in the middle of the road.

"No, not really I could care less but you keep looking at it like you've never seen it before." She calmly says noticing that Tyran stopped and was holding his head as if he were in pain. "What's wrong got a headache or sometin?" She asks turning and starts to slowly walking towards him. _'He looks like he's really in pain…maybe he had way too much sugar…it's possible that he likes sweets?'_ She thinks as she gets close enough to see his face contorted in pain even though it was subtle it was still there.

"No, I'm fine you don't have to worry its nothing really..." He answers as she scoffs and starts walking the other direction. _'No I can't think like that…its treachery.'_ He thinks recovering as the pain slowly subsides and finally ceases completely so he can walk to catch up with Iracebeth. _'But then why do I have such thoughts?'_ He ponders silently as they near the vehicle that they were going to use for the duration of their partnership.

"Eh? Why would I be worried I was wondering if you forgot some'tn back at your house, mansion, thing, or whatever the heck you call it?" She scoffs opening the door and getting into the car waiting for Tyran. "Come'n we haven't got all day!" She shouts as he rolls his eyes and gets into the car.

"I don't think this'll be so fun to work with you anymore bounty hunter." Tyran mocks as Iracebeth starts the care and they drive off. _'It doesn't matter I'll figure it out eventually, no matter what the reason or reasons may be…'_ Tyran thinks watching the landscape fly by in blurs of green, brown, and yellow.

"Who said I'd be fun to work with and if saying Iracebeth is to long for you just call me Ace, 'cause even I get tired of saying Iracebeth all the time." She says speeding down the dirt road leaving a trail behind them.

"Why Ace, isn't that a boy's name, why not Beth?" Tyran asks glancing at her before turning his gaze back to the window.

"BOY'S NAME? NO IT'S NOT ACE CAN BE USED FOR A GIRL OR A BOY NAME! Besides I don't like Beth it sounds to girly!" Ace huffs as she slams on the breaks sending Tyran into the window plane with a grunt.

"OWW, THAT HURT DANG IT! What was that for you jerk?" Tyran shouts holding his nose as she steps on the gas and he flies back into his seat banging his head against the roof and his seat.

"The brakes my dear boy were for making fun of my name and the gas was for calling me a jerk." She states in a matter of fact tone slowing down to her previous speed.

"…I think you broke my nose…" Tyran groans as Ace scoffs and continues down the road. _'That really hurt…'_ He thinks letting out another painful groan and leaning back in his seat.

"Oh? I'm sorry poor baby, do you need a Band-Aid for your poor little nose?" Ace mocks in a baby voice as Tyran glares at her his eyes filled with hate.

"Stu-" Tyran was about to retort when Ace holds up a hand to silence him.

"Say another insult and I'll slam on the breaks again this time sending you through the window." Ace calmly says glancing at him before looking back at the road.

"…fine…" Tyran grumbles slouching over in his seat pouting. Ace rolls her eyes and mumbles about how he's acting like a three year old._ 'She reminds me of someone I know but I can't quite place who it is…'_ He thinks as Ace begins to slow down. He's so caught up in his thoughts he doesn't realize that Ace is talking to him.

"You should try acting more like your age," She scolds as they reach an abandoned looking building whose windows are all boarded up, "Come'n baby." She mocks stopping the car and getting out making Tyran look up from his sulking position.

"Huh?" He asks snapping out of his thoughts noticing Ace already outside the car waiting. "Oh, I'm coming." He grumbles quickly getting out of the car and walking over to her. _'What is this place?'_ He ponders looking up at the gigantic building looming over him.

"In case you want to know this is my place, not much but its' pretty low profile. It'll be our base for operations, got any questions for me?" Ace says proudly pointing to the old dump. _'It's good to be home again!'_ She thinks a broad smile appearing on her fair pale face, white teeth shining in the shadows.

"Yeah one, why's it so close to the Roman Church?" He asks mockingly, pointing to the right where the Vatican's cross can be seen above several buildings. Ace glares at him and growls.

"It is not that close!" She states scoffing. "Besides there aren't very many if any Methuselahs here, so I don't have to be hassled by those freaks." She calmly says shrugging her shoulders. _'Plus it was pretty cheap.'_ She thinks to herself a playful smile on her lips.

"I guess that makes sense." Tyran says tapping his chin in deep thought watching the sun slowly climb up the mid-morning sky. "So how long do we have before they reach the rendezvous?" He asks still looking at the gloomy stone-grey house.

"Let's see…" She answers pulling out a silver pocket watch and looking at the time, "Um…bout eight and a half hours…but it'll take us maybe six hours and fifteen minutes to reach it before them so we should leave ASAP…" She says walking towards an old rusted metal door that had a pad lock and chains on it. _'That's if we're lucky and don't get delayed by the any unnecessary delays.' _She inwardly grumbles as she swiftly pulls out a key from her pocket and unlocks the door motioning Tyran to follow her as she stepped into the foreboding darkness.

"Why's it so dark-AHH!" Tyran exclaims quickly covering his eyes as Ace turns on all the lights and walks into a back room through a dark wooden door, revealing a very well furnished inside that looked nothing like the outside. _'How did she afford all of this?'_ He thinks his jaw slightly a gape staring at all the hues of red, purple, and black, but what caught his attention the most were all the knives hanging on the walls, they varied from any kind of blade you could think of to even more than that. _'That's a lot of blades!'_ He thinks in shock as absorbs all that his eye can handle at once.

"What? Oh, yeah most of those blades are just mainly for décor so to speak I don't really use 'em les I'm too tired or weak for anything else." Ace says emerging from the room with a duffle bag on her back and some folders in her hands which now had black fingerless gloves covering them. "Course that rarely ever happens since I never give anyone the chance to actually really hurt me." She adds walking over to Tyran and handing him some of the folders.

"What are these?" He asks opening one of them to see a man with glasses, ivory skin, and long silver hair tied back with a black ribbon. _'What? He's…'_ He thinks scowling, rage slowly boiling to the surface.

"They're who we're more than likely to be going up against. That one's Abel Nightroad, do you know him?" She asks curiously watching his face begin to turn a bright reddish color.

"He's one of the one's that those traitors let escape!" He growls through gritted teeth tossing the folder to the ground and looking at the other two both of which had the other two escapees. _'All of them…this means it'll be easier to capture those two traitors!'_ He thinks venomously a dreadful smile appearing on his dark features.

"Really? How'd they manage that?" She asks genuinely curious. _'With how many guards I saw there I'd imagine it'd be impossible for someone to escape even if they know where everything is.'_ She thinks as Tyran's scowl grows deeper.

"I let them escape…" He answers so softly it's just above a whisper.

"Huh? Why'd you do that? I mean the moment I met you, you seemed like you'd never disobey an order." Ace says astounded. _'He let them escape wasn't expectin' hear that one.'_ She thinks looking at Tyran whose face was no longer filled with rage but more of a sadness or disappointment.

"I don't know why I did it…I just…I don't know…" He says softly. _'And every time I try to think of a good reason I feel a sharp pain that stops all my thoughts…like earlier.'_ He mentally adds glancing at Ace whose normally fierce crimson eyes held concern in them.

"Well we better get going we've already wasted forty-five minutes when we should've only been here five!" She quickly says rushing out the door Tyran right behind her as she turns out the lights and locks the door. _'Maybe I was wrong about him maybe he isn't so bad.'_ She thinks smiling as she throws her things in the back and starts up the car as Tyran quickly climbs in and they drive off leaving a trail of smoke behind them.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"So…where are we going again?" Alma asks arms behind her head in a carefree manner, glancing at all the people passing their little group by in rush. Every now and then one of them would take a double glance at the two young girls surrounded by priests. _'Why does everyone keep looking at me? Is it my hat or the jacket?_' She ponders adjusting her hat so that it covers her eyes and watches the crowds speed by.

"I've told you already! We're going to the town called Mirrors Brooke, now quite asking and hurry up!" Leon grumbles trudging forward through the crowds.

"Sounds like a nice place but how's it get its' name?" Scarlet asks tugging on Leon's robes. "It sounds like a horror film scene! Doesn't it Alma, what if it is a horror scene and when we arrive there'll be-" She begins but is cut off by Alma covering her mouth in mid-sentence.

"SHUT UP SCARLET! You're going to give me nightmares!" Alma exclaims covering her cousin's mouth in a futile attempt to get her to stop as she licks her hand. "Ugh…that's real mature Scarlet…" Alma grumbles removing her hand that is now covered in slobber.

"Well you shouldn't of covered my hand before I finished my sentence, anyway as I was saying when we arrive, there's dead people everywhere and their guts and innards are just spewed all over the place!" Scarlet chirps clapping her hands and looking like a maniac. _'Wonder how Alma'll react?_' She ponders watching her cousin just stand there and shrug.

"That's it?" Alma asks a bored expression on her face with an eyebrow raised quizzically, "I thought you were gonna say that it was haunted by ghosts or some'tn not gore." She states rolling her eyes and sighing an exasperated sigh. _'I really thought it was scary, oh well._' She thinks shrugging.

"I-I thought you'd be scared by that…!" Scarlet states shocked at what she just heard her cousin say. _'I honestly thought that'd scare her._' She thinks as Alma strides past her barely glancing at her.

"Wait, you actually tried to scare her? For what?" Abel asks staring at Scarlet a shock of pure disbelief on his face, as answer Scarlet merely shrugs. _'They truly are one of a kind…_' He inwardly sighs as Leon shakes his head a smirk on his face.

"I thought it'd be funny." Scarlet nonchalantly lazily glancing at Abel, a mischievous gleam in her bright hazel eyes gave him an uneasy feeling. '_And next time I'll be sure to get her._' She thinks a sly smile slowly appearing on her face as she fixes her backpack and duffle bag so they don't fall of.

"Well you failed and quite miserably might I add!" Alma says as their train pulls into the station. "Well here's our train! Come'n we have to hurry if we want to reach Mirrors Brooke by nightfall!" She chirps grabbing her backpack and pouch as she ran past the others. '_Plus I'll be able to scout out the area for any enemies…_' She thinks hopping into the cart as the others quickly follow.

"So I'll get you next time just watch!" Scarlet snaps walking to hers and Alma's seats.

"Sometimes I wonder how those two don't kill each other…" Leon mumbles sighing as he and the others take their seats on the train with Alma and Scarlet still arguing.

"I'm sure they won't act like this once we reach Mirrors Brooke." Abel says smiling as Leon rolls his eyes.

"Somehow I doubt that…" Leon grumbles slouching in his chair a scowl on his face.

"Jerk! Why do you always try ta scare me?" Alma demands sitting down in her seat, Scarlet plopping down beside her.

"Cause I think it's funny…" Scarlet mumbles a smile on her face, Alma stares at her in shock and mouth slightly open.

"Yer just mean!" Alma scoffs getting up and sitting beside Leon. '_I've never heard of Mirrors Brooke…I hope we don't run into any trouble…_' Alma thinks gazing out the window watching as the scenery goes by in a single blur.

"I don't care!" Scarlet retorts standing up quickly and glaring at Alma who scoffed and ignored her. '_Why that little…_' She thinks fuming as she sits back down glaring out the window. '_I sure hope there's someone at Mirrors Brooke that's causing trouble, cause then I get let out all my frustration on them…but it has to be like big trouble not little trouble._' She thinks an evil smirk appearing on her face as she stares out the window.

"There's enough tension between you two Hugue could cut out a circle…" Leon grumbles shifting uncomfortably in his seat. '_And being next to one of them doesn't help much either…_' He thinks sighing.

"I hate trains…" Alma suddenly says breaking the awkward silence that had built up.

"You hate a lot of things!" Scarlet snaps looking at her cousin.

"Not true! I mean you can't really see anything besides blurs!" Alma says poking the window a bored expression on her face.

"What're you talkin' bout? There ain't much to look at in the first place!" Scarlet says pointing to all the blurred colors going by. "Just a bunch a shrubs, trees, grass, ya know the usual." She says rolling her eyes in a playful manner.

"Hmmm…true but still! It's boring just seeing the blurs!" Alma says stubbornly.

"I give up yer just too thick headed to give up!" Scarlet scoffs looking at her cousin.

"True, oh so true!" Alma chirps laughing.

"Why are you laughing are you insane?" Scarlet demands her eyebrow knitted together.

"NO! …Okay maybe just a tad bit insane…" Alma replies showing her cousin with her fingers. "But you know you love me!" She chirps still laughing as Scarlet shakes her head a small smile on her face trying to hold in her laughter.

"Why, how am I even related to you?" Scarlet asks laughing softly as Alma shrugs and smiles.

"Don't know sometin to do with genetics I think…" Alma says smirking.

"Well no duh Sherlock!" Scarlet retorts as she rolls her eyes in annoyance.

"Thanks! If I'm Sherlock then I'm the best detective in the world!" Alma happily shouts jumping into the air.

"Ugh, dang it Alma I was being sarcastic you know rhetorical so you don't have to answer me!" Scarlet grumbles groaning as she watches Alma jump up and down with joy.

"I know but I'll still take it as a compliment even though you didn't mean it as one!" Alma chips sitting back down a smile plastered on her face.

"…No comment…" Scarlet groans sitting back down in her seat as Alma continues laughing. '_She definitely has a screw loose or sometin…_' Scarlet thinks sighing.

"Hey Tres, how much longer till we get to the horror place?" Alma asks staring at Tres. '_Wonder if he'll ask me to stop?_' She thinks as she continues to stare at him.

"…The remainder of the trip is five hours and forty-five minutes and thirty-two point eight seconds." He replies in a monotone voice when he notices Alma is intensely staring at him. "Why are you staring at me?" He asks looking at her.

"That long I'm gonna be bored outta my mind…oh well I brought some sketch books and some writing books." She says absent mindedly completely ignoring his question still staring at him. '_I think I'm making him nervous…this is FUN!_' She thinks laughing silently to herself.

"Will you quite staring at me." Tres says narrowing his eyes at Alma who in turn narrows hers at him.

"Why? Is it bothering the big bad Tres?" Alma asks a sly smile appears on her face as she continues to stare at him. '_I don't want this ta go too far so if he don't answer I'll-_'

"No it just makes you look like a freak." Tres deadpans in his usual monotone voice.

"That so?" She kindly asks forcing a smile and closing her eyes as her eyebrow twitches. '_Did he just call me a FREAK?_' She thinks letting out a shaky sigh.

"Affirmative." Tres states making Alma's eyebrow twitch even more.

"Well then I'll take it as a compliment that means I managed to get on your cybernetic nerves!" Alma states triumphantly quickly standing up and doing an odd victory pose with her fingers in the shape of a V in Tres' face. "HAHA, I iz the most awesome person ever!" Alma says laughing as she sits back down smirking at Tres' confused expression.

"…I'm not sure how to answer that…" Tres says looking at Alma with a blank expression.

"So does that mean I out smarted Tres?" Alma asks as Scarlet bursts out laughing. "What if he don't know what to say 'bout that then I outsmarted him!" Alma says confused.

"That or you just managed to confuse him with yer goofy stance and horrible grammar!" Scarlet says still laughing.

"Who has horrible grammar? Me?" Alma asks in a confused tone her brows knitted close together in thought. '_At least she's not mad anymore._' She thinks smiling to herself.

"Yeah you worst grammar I've ever seen!" Scarlet says laughing.

"Well now, I do believe you have worse grammar than me!" Alma says playfully poking Scarlet in the forehead.

"Nah, Alma you got the worst grammar sometimes I bet you make up half the words you say." She retorts smiling playfully.

"Those two are confusing, one moment they're enemies the next they act like nothing happened…" Abel says sighing shaking his head in disappointment.

"Tell me about it I've never seen anyone argue as much as those two." Leon grumbles leaning back in his seat gazing up at the trains' metal roof.

"Affirmative, Alma is…"

"Confusing and way to happy." Leon grumbles as Tres and Abel nod in agreement.

"I wonder, what keeps her so happy?" Abel ponders watching the two girls argue and laugh over who has worse or better grammar. '_It's funny to watch them argue though…_' He thinks a small smile on his face his blue eyes filled with joy.

"You know what though I think I'm glad they're our allies instead of our enemies, I mean you saw their powers yesterday they're powerful that's for sure." Leon says closing his eyes as the train speeds along.

"Hm, that is true but still they are keeping secrets from us." Abel says looking at Leon a moment before sighing and starts staring out the window. '_Though they did tell us when they fully trust us they'll tell us…I just wonder when or if they'll ever fully trust us…_' He silently tacks on looking at the two who are now sitting by each other talking silently.

"Wonder what they're talking about?" Leon grumbles glancing at the two.

"Who knows…"Abel absentmindedly replies.

"Okay so we know that the place is called Mirrors Brooke right?" Alma asks glancing at her cousin who nods.

"So what else do we know 'bout the place?" Scarlet asks as Alma shrugs her shoulders.

"Not much else…" Alma says taking out a book from her back pack. "I wonder if it's in this." She says flipping to the index and quickly scanning for Mirrors Brooke.

"Well?" Scarlet asks leaning over a little but not enough to see the book.

"Found it!" Alma chirps flipping to the page and silently reading it then gasping. "No way!" She breathes eyes wide.

"What?" Scarlet asks peeking over Alma's shoulder trying to see.

"Look! This place really is a murder house! There have been fifty-seven deaths in the last year alone!" Alma exclaims holding the book in Scarlet's face.

"That is a whole lot of murders…" Scarlet says in a dazed manner peeking over her shoulder to see the book.

"Do you think we should tell the others?" Alma asks looking up at Scarlet her eyes held a tint of worry.

"Nah, I don't think it's that important, besides all of us can handle ourselves we don't really have to worry 'bout a murder." Scarlet says shrugging her shoulders and smiling.

"Alright...but I think it'd be a lot of fun if we try to find that homicidal maniac." Alma whispers as Scarlet sighs but nods.

"You're crazy Alma." She says laughing quietly as Alma beams.

"I know I've been told that quite a bit!" Alma replies beaming. "Hey Tres, how much longer 'till we get there?" Alma asks looking over at Tres the book still in her hand.

"Three hours fifteen minutes and fifty-four point five seconds." Tres replies in a monotone voice. Alma sighs and slouches in her seat.

"I also think we should try to get Tres to act more human." Alma whispers as Scarlet nods.

"Me too but you'd have to ask Bolt." She replies taking out a book and starts reading it.

"I know but still…Do you think we'll ever see them again, after all this is over and done with I mean?" Alma asks gesturing towards the group of priests her eyes held concern.

"I'm sure we'll cross their paths again don't worry 'bout it! Besides if we don't an' ya really miss 'em I'll make sure we run into 'em on friendly terms!" Scarlet says patting Alma's shoulder earning her a weak smile.

"I believe ya but still…" Alma whispers sadly gazing out the window watching the scenery begin to change to a more forested and lively scene. '_What if we don't survive our own war…?_' Alma silently ponders closing her eyes and letting out a heavy sigh.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Hi again…I'm sorry it took so long again I've been busy and had a tiny bit of writer's block =P but I think I'm good for now anyway. Okay just a heads up this chapter will be switching from character to character so when you see the … … … know that means it's changed to a different scene somewhere else. Um…that's all later! Please tell me what you think about my story! Enjoy!**_

Chapter 8

"Hmm, wonder why this place is called Mirrors Brooke?" A young black haired woman asks as she looks at the clear stream beside her, her crystal blue eyes shining and her crimson streaks glowing in the cool blue water. "Maybe it's because of how well the water acts like a mirror?" She ponders as she squats down and picks some water and morphs it into a sphere. "This is fun!" She exclaims as she plays with the water watching it quiver and waver.

"Hmm…maybe I should start going to the town again…" She mumbles playing with the water making smaller orbs of water circle the larger one. "Nah, this is way too much fun, I'll leave in a little bit." She says making the orb form a twisting spiral.

… … …

"How much longer, until we get there?" Tyran groans leaning his head back in the seat.

"I told ya it'll be 'bout and hour maybe less!" Ace snaps glaring at him a moment as she speeds down the dirt road dirt flying behind her.

"That's too long! Can't you make this bucket of bolts go any faster?" He whines closing his eyes. "I bet Bolt could fix it." He grumbles making Ace slam on the brakes and would've sent him flying if he hadn't had his seat belt on. "Ha! I was prepared this time!" He shouts triumphantly when she steps on the gas and he hits his head against the dashboard. "owww…" He whimpers curling up in a ball in his seat.

"Baby." Ace scoffs rolling her eyes and slows down. "I'm sure you've had worse." She says glancing over a Tyran who was holding his head and whimpering. 'What is he two?' She thinks scoffing as she turns and heads towards the deeper part of the woods. She looks around and sees a sign that says Mirrors Brooke 45 kilometers. 'Not much further if I keep going at this speed I'll be there early!' She thinks excitedly speeding up a little.

"Why are you so harsh?" Tyran asks sitting back up and rubbing his head.

"I'm not harsh yer just annoying!" She snaps glaring at him.

"How am I annoying?" He asks in confusion.

"Just, because that's my answer!" She snaps. 'Is that really the best thing I can come up with?' She thinks mentally scolding herself.

"That's not a very good answer." Tyran grumbles slouching in his seat a scowl on his face.

"Yeah, well get over it!" She retorts glaring at the road noticing a brook nearby its water shining in the late afternoon sunshine but the forest beyond was still shrouded in shadows. 'Even now that danged forest is dark…gives me the creeps.' She thinks rubbing one of her arms trying to make the goose bumps go away.

"Still not a good answer…" Tyran grumbles glaring out the window watching the desolate forest zoom by.

"What are you two?" Ace asks glancing at him a moment as they cross an old stone bridge that looked like it'd been there for ages. "Wonder how old this town is, I mean it looks like that bridge's been there forever!" She breathes whistling as they enter the old town that looked abandoned besides the few run-down stores speckled here and there.

"I have absolutely no idea…" Tyran mumbles sitting up and looking out the window watching the few people that were out stare at them with curiosity in their eyes. 'Act like they ain't ever seen visitors before.' He thinks scoffing as he looks at the town noticing some train tracks off to the side. 'Okay maybe they just don't get visitors that often…' Tyran thought looking at the rotten wood that passed for a train platform. 'Okay, very, very few visitors.' He thinks groaning.

"I wasn't askin ya, now was I?" Ace says stopping at the only inn in the entire town which looked just like all the other old forgotten buildings.

"Who were ya askin' then?" Tyran asks watching her get out of the car. 'She's just as confusin' as…as who is it? I know I know who it is but can't place it…" He thinks in deep thought gazing at nothing in particular.

"I wasn't askin' anyone!" She snaps slamming her door shut turning to leave but turns back and glares at Tyran a moment before she opens the door again. "Stay." She orders slamming the door once more and trotting up the steps creaking as her feet touched them.

"Huh?" Tyran asks not hearing what she said but sees her enter the building. "I guess she told me ta stay put." He muses leaning back in the seat for a few moments in deep thought. "But since when have I ever listened ta what people have ta say?" He snickers hopping out of the car to go explore the old desolate town.

… … …

"Alma wake up, come on we're here." Leon says shaking a sleeping Alma as Abel tries to wake up Scarlet beside her.

"No…I wanna sleep five more minutes…"Alma groans swatting his hand away.

"Get up! I told you we're here!" He says grabbing her and flinging her over his shoulder.

"AHHH PUT ME DOWN! LEON DO YA HEAR ME I SAID PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!" Alma hollers wide awake, beating him on the back trying to get him to set her down.

"No can do, you didn't wake up when I told you to so no." He says when Alma pulls his hair making him tilt over.

"I SAID PUT ME DOWN!" She demands again yanking his hair making him loose his footing and let go as he falls with a loud THUD!

"owww…" Leon grumbles standing up as Alma smiles sweetly and walks off.

"That's what ya get! Maybe ya oughta think 'bout what ya do before ya do it." She smirks getting off the train with Tres.

"Little brat!" Leon grumbles scowling. "Hey Abel how's waking the other one up coming?" He calls watching as Abel shakes Scarlet again who grumbles and swats his hand away.

… … …

"Wow this town is sure small…" Tyran groans, passing the little town's store for the third time when he hears a train whistle and sees a train pull up to the station. 'Wonder if anyone's getting' off here.' He thinks walking over to the station seeing the doors open up and a few people slowly climb out.

"I SAID PUT ME DOWN!" He hears someone shout from inside and almost instantly after hears a large THUD!

"What the…heck?" He wonders loudly, when he sees Alma waltz out of the train beside the android from earlier. 'What are they doin' here?' He thinks gritting his teeth as he tries to hide in the shadows. 'Wait…if she's here than that means the other annoying brat's here as well!' He realizes scowling feeling his back hit the cool brick building behind him. "This won't do…I gotta tell Ace-Ugh…" Tyran grunts holding his head as a wave of pain and nausea overcome him. 'Curse it…every time I'm near those two I get this feeling…' He scowls as the pain eases. "…I can handle 'em by myself. I just gotta get 'em away from their allies…" He says smirking stealthily stepping out of the shadows.

… … …

"Oh please wake up Scarlet…" Abel whines shaking the sleeping girl once more careful to avoid her legs, when she suddenly bolts up and looks around. "What's the matter Scarlet?" Abel asks concerned.

"ALMA!" She exclaims rushing past Abel nearly knocking him down as she heads outside. "Alma did ya feel that!" She says running over to her cousin eyes darting around scanning the crowd for something. 'It can't be…why would he be here…' She thinks silently panicking.

"Yeah, I felt it…"Alma says walking up to her cousin and pulling her away to a empty corner. "Why would Tyran be here?" She whispers a hint of worry in her voice as she scans the crowd for Tyran.

"Don't know your guess is as good as mine." Scarlet whispers as she glances at the crowd a moment. "But it can't be good." She adds looking at her cousin who nods in agreement.

"I bet Shadow sent 'im to bring us back…We should tell the others, they need to know what they're going to be up against if Tyran really is after us!" Alma silently exclaims casting a worried glance at their little group who are standing by the train.

"…I guess yer right…" Scarlet grumbles scowling. "But we can't let 'em kill him!" She quickly adds.

"I know that!" Alma says noticing some movement by one of the buildings. "Scarlet!" She whispers silently gesturing to the building.

"What…Oh I guess we found 'im." Scarlet says following her cousin's gaze as they see him slide out of the shadows and take off. "We can't let 'im get away!" Scarlet exclaims chasing after him jumping over the crowd.

"Oh dear…" Alma mutters watching Scarlet quickly disappear behind some buildings following Tyran. 'Maybe I should tell the others…' She quickly thinks glancing back at the group before she gives chase as well. "TRES, ABEL, LEON WE GOTTA GO!" She calls over her shoulder as she vanishes behind the same buildings. 'I hope he doesn't do anything stupid…' She thinks as she sees the two jump onto a building and head towards the woods. 'Not good!' She thinks running faster in an attempt to catch up to the two.

"What…just happened?" A stunned Leon asks as he watches Alma quickly follow the two.

"I believe Alma and Scarlet are chasing someone…" Abel replies blinking trying to register what happened.

"We have to go after them!" Leon says about to run off when he trips over the luggage and falls on his face. "OWW!" He hollers rubbing his face. "I bet they set those bags there on purpose!" He continues as he stands back up and brushes himself off.

"I don't think so…besides Leon shouldn't we be more concerned with who they're chasing and follow them!" Abel says quickly noticing two figures on top of a building jump off towards the woods and a third behind them and quickly gaining.

"Positive, sensors indicate they are chasing Tyran from the structure where we were being held the other day." Tres says in his monotone voice.

"Okay…that's not good…Tres you should follow them me and Leon will follow you but we should look around town and see if we can find any clues as to why he's here or if he's with anyone." Abel says picking up the luggage as Tres nods and follows the three figures into the forest.

"WHAT?" Leon demands trying to follow but Abel drags him. "Abel! Let me go!" He shouts struggling but Abel shakes his head calmly.

"We should see what we can find out. I'm sure they can handle themselves besides you said it yourself Leon they're powerful and Tres can handle himself so we shouldn't worry that much." Abel says as Leon sighs but stops struggling and nods in agreement.

"I guess you have a point…" He says picking up the others bags and walking off the train station carefully avoiding the people. "I guess we should hurry up and find out all we can then we go after them." He calmly says as Abel nods and follows.

"I believe the hotel we will be staying is right over here." Abel says quickly passing Leon as they see an old building that has a sign MIRRORS BROOKE INN crookedly hanging the front with a little black car in front of the building. "I guess this is it…" He says as the two walk inside and pass a young woman who is heading outside. 'Odd…' Abel thinks shivering as she passes them. 'She does not look like she's from around here. Could she be working for Tyran?' He thinks but quickly disregards it seeing as how she hadn't attacked them or even glanced at them.

… … …

'It's those two priests from the pictures!' Ace thinks as she walks sees them enter the building and silently panics. 'I'll just ignore them not even glance at them.' She calmly thinks walking past the two not even glancing in their direction and heads out the door. "I'll just tell Tyran they got here earlier than I expected…" She grumbles as she walks towards her car noticing Tyran isn't in it. "…I can't believe it he left!" Ace shouts making everyone passing by stare at her with odd expressions. 'This isn't good…maybe I should try to find him…' She thinks when she remembers the two targets inside the inn. 'Or…I could toy with these two until he comes back.' She plots smiling softly. "I like that I'll go with that plan!" She softly exclaims as she goes to explore the town.

… … …

"What's wrong Abel?" Leon asks as they reach their rooms and set the luggage down.

"I'm not sure but that young girl did not look like she was from around here…" He replies as Leon nods and scoffs.

"Yeah but you really think she's working with Tyran?" Leon questions eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"Perhaps but she did not attack us or acknowledge us so I could be wrong…" Abel says looking around the fairly furnished room that had two queen beds, a coffee table, and a night stand by each bed with a lamp on each one.

"Yeesh, the place looks better on the inside than the outside." Leon says whistling as he sits in one of the chairs by the coffee table.

"It certainly does…we should go look around town." Abel says walking out of the room with Leon right behind him.

… … …

'This is going better than I had hoped it would.' Tyran thinks smirking as he flies by another tree and passes a brook. "HA! You two can run as fast as you can but you slow pokes will never catch me!" Tyran taunts making a sharp turn towards the brook.

"I finally caught up to ya!" Alma cheers running alongside Scarlet who scoffs and speeds up. 'That's just wrong…' Alma thinks scowling as she speeds up to catch Scarlet once more.

"We don't have time to fool around! He's getting away!" Scarlet orders as she tries to catch up to Tyran who just speeds up more just out of her reach.

"…Scarlet we won't be able to catch him…Tyran's the fastest of us all ya know that." Alma calmly states as she avoids some fallen trees and notices the brook suddenly get narrower like it was drying up. 'But this is the direction the water comes from…it shouldn't be getting narrower unless…an outside force is swallowing the water!' She thinks silently gasping as the brook gets more and more narrow.

"I don't care! We can't lose him!" Scarlet shouts glaring at Alma completely oblivious to the brook as Tyran speeds up again.

… … …

"Hmm…I think I've stayed here to long…but oh well I'm having fun!" Evangeline says standing up and looking at her wonderful creation a large watery spinning spiral that took up most of the brooks water. "That took up quite a bit of water…maybe I should make it a little smaller…" She says frowning slightly but motions with her hand and the some water goes through the spiral back into the brook making it rush.

"There that's better!" She chirps as smaller orbs form around the swirling water. "Let's see here…" She says smiling as the swirl shifts into a watery tree with a bird hovering above it.

"WATCH OUT!" Tyran shouts barely dodging her and smashing through the water tree and into a real tree.

"HOLY SHOOT!" Scarlet shouts skidding on some water and landing in the brook as Alma smacks into Evangeline.

"Owww…I'm sorry! Are ya okay? I didn't mean ta smack into ya." Alma says getting up and dusting herself off and helping Evangeline up as well.

"I'm alright! Thanks for asking!" She says noticing Tyran's body twitching on the ground in front of the tree groaning. "ARE YOU OKAY?" She asks walking over to him and poking him in the face.

"…owww…no I'm not okay…." He groans swatting her hand away and getting back up his joints popping as he staggers up.

"Well…I'm sorry my name's Evangeline though ya could call me Eva!" She chirps shaking his hand a broad smile on her face. "It's nice ta meetcha! What's yer name?" She asks as Tyran stares at her in confusion.

"Tyran…" He skeptically says narrowing his eyes at her. 'Who is this chick?' He thinks watching as she nods and laughs.

"That sounds like Tyrant!" She says laughing her blue eyes shining.

"So I've been told…" He says raising an eyebrow when he notices Scarlet clamber out of the brook and shake off the water glaring at him.

"TYRAN, WHAT'RE YA THINKIN' BETTER YET WHY'RE YA HERE?" Scarlet demands shaking some more water off.

"LIKE I'D TELL YOU!" He shouts glaring at her.

"…Yer name's Evangeline right?" Alma asks calmly ignoring the other two glaring at each other. "Sorry I just kind a heard it from when you were talkin' ta Tyran…" She says as Evangeline nods and smiles.

"Ya, it's alright! I'm glad I don't have to repeat myself!" Evangeline says laughing as she walks over to Alma and shakes her hand. "So you three know each other?" She asks glancing back a Tyran who is in shock and staring at them.

"NO!" Tyran and Scarlet shout in unison. "LIKE I'D KNOW THAT JERK/TYRANT!" They continue as they glare at each other.

"Sort of…" Alma says nervously as Tyran shakes his head and glares at the two of them.

'I can't believe this. First I find these two, then I smack into that tree and this weird chick starts talking to me and now Alma acts like she's not a traitor!' He inwardly screams taking a step forward when Alma grabs Eva's hand and runs off.

"LATER TYRAN!" She hollers from over her shoulder as she speeds off in opposite direction of the way they came.

"WHAT? GET BACK HERE!" Tyran shouts about to chase after them when Scarlet tackles him to the ground her hand glowing an eerie purple color. "What're ya doin' get yer hands off me!" He shouts as she holds her glowing hand in front of his face. 'Don't let it be what I think it is!' He thinks panicking struggling to free himself when Scarlet smirks.

"You remember what this technique is, don't you Tyran." Scarlet says as her hand glows an even darker almost black purple.

"no…" Tyran weakly says as his struggling becomes less and less frantic. 'Dang it I knew it!' He thinks as Scarlet's smirk becomes an evil grin.

"To bad, next time think before ya run away." She coolly says as her hand becomes solid black. "Terrore carceris…" She says as her hand flashes black and Tyran's body goes limp as he loses conscious, his pale green eyes completely devoid of any light. "I'm sorry Ty but ya left me no choice…" She says as she picks him up and chases after Alma. 'We'll find a way to help you…I swear.' Scarlet thinks glancing down at Tyran as she speeds through the trees.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Hello people!*happy chibi waving* I hope ya'll like this chapter!**_

Chapter 9

"Leon how do you think the others are doing?" Abel asks staring at the old building its windows broken out and the wood rotted everywhere. 'How can this building still be standing?' He ponders gently kicking a part of the wall as it crumbles away.

"Don't know but I'm sure they're all okay." He replies kicking a rotted piece of wood looking at the ground. "This entire town looks like it's about to fall down any second." Leon grumbles.

"Oh, I'm sure they can handle themselves!" Abel quickly says as Leon shakes his head and laughs. "Hey Leon any idea on how old this town is?" He asks as Leon shakes his head.

"Nope not a clue, but it's definitely been here awhile." He answers neither of them noticing Ace silently walking up to them.

"Hi!" Ace says from behind them making them both jump. "Oh, I didn't mean to scare you two priests." She sweetly says as they stare at her. 'Are these two really any threat?' She inwardly sighs looking at the two a fake smile on her face.

"You're that girl from the hotel right?" Abel asks as she nods and shakes his hand.

"My name's Ace! It's nice to meet you Mr.…?" Ace asks politely.

"Oh my name's Abel and this is Leon!" He quickly says as Ace nods and smiles.

"Well it's nice to meet you Father Abel and Father Leon." Ace says a smile still on her face. 'Wow…these two are really stupid, just telling me their names and leaving openings for me to strike at…their total idiots.' She smugly thinks a smiling at the thought of destroying the two.

"Nice to meet you too so what brings you to Mirrors Brook?" Leon skeptically asks looking the girl in the eyes.

"Oh nothing really I just have family that I wanted to visit in the next town but I'm waiting for them to pick me up because the tracks don't go through their town." She coolly says as a shadow knife forms behind her back. 'Okay…he may not be that dumb but the other is still pretty dumb, better take care of them before something bad happens.' She inwardly groans gripping the blade in her hand.

"Oh that sounds reasonable." Abel says as he turns to leave. "Well we should be going it's nice to meet you." He calls to her as he walks off Leon behind him.

"…Dang it…" Ace quietly grumbles as she tails after them careful not to be seen. 'I have to take them out so I can get the other two…Wait where are they?' She silently ponders as they go inside a little grocery store. 'Great…now I have to wait, I hate waiting.' She scowls rolling her eyes as she watches the two and listens.

"Um excuse me miss?" Abel politely asks the cashier his and Leon's backs towards the window. "I wanted to see if you could help us." He continues as she stops what she's doing and looks at the two her blue eyes full of warmth and kindness.

"Yes? How may I help you two gentlemen?" She asks kindly smiling a warm smile, her grey hair kept in a neat little bun.

"I was wondering, if you've seen a young man with dark curly hair and dark skin walking around the town?" Abel asks as the woman nods her head. 'So we have a lead!' He thinks excitedly listening to what she says.

"Yes I saw him not to long ago he was just walking around looking at everything." She says as Abel and Leon exchange looks, both thinking the same thing.

"That's all he did look around?" Leon asks as the woman smiles and nods.

"Yes that's all he did, just look at all the old buildings, oh he did come in here once but he just browsed a moment." She says as they thank her and leave in disappointment.

"Well that was a dead end…" Leon grumbles after they're outside. "Now what? Apparently all he was doing was just wondering around looking at all the old buildings no harm in that and it doesn't help us any either." He sighs as Ace smirks from the shadows.

'At least he wasn't causing any trouble.' She thinks stepping out of the shadows behind Leon gripping her blade. "Too bad, I bet it would've helped me find the two girls." She mocks as she swiftly attacks an unguarded Leon who barely dodges the blade.

"I was right! You are working with Tyran!" Leon shouts as he attacks and Ace dodges laughing.

"Hm? I guess you two aren't as dumb as you look." Ace taunts as she round house kicks Abel and sends him flying. "Oh well if I get rid of you two then I'll be able to get the targets quicker." She continues as she attacks Leon with lightning fast punches.

'She's so fast! I can only block her attacks…there has to be a weakness. But I won't find it unless she slows down she took out Abel with one kick for crying out loud!' Leon thinks dodging another knife as it zooms by his head when everything stops. 'What?' He thinks as he sees Ace standing there not even a little tired a bored frown on her face her crimson eyes staring at him.

"Hmph you two ain't worth my time." Ace scoffs as she jumps lands in the shadows. "Next time you might be able to land a hit on me!" She taunts as she completely vanishes into the darkness.

"What just happened?" Leon asks stunned as he looks around for Abel and finds a little crater trail leading to him. "ABEL ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" He shouts as he walks over to him and helps him up.

"I've had better days…" Abel groans coughing a bit as he stands up and dusts himself off. "What happened?" He asks as Leon laughs nervously.

"Eh-heh-heh she left." Leon says nervously as Abel sighs and looks around a moment before nodding.

"I see…now what?" Abel questions as they start walking back towards the inn.

"Now we go back to the inn. Not much else we can do." Leon answers, walking in front of Abel.

'I definitely underestimated those two…dang it.' Ace thinks watching them from the shadows an evil smile playing at her lips. 'Oh well can't help it now. I'll just kill them later.' She thinks sinking completely into the shadows and vanishing.

… … …

"So what brings ya hear to Mirrors Brook?" Alma asks as she and Eva speed through the trees glancing back at the girl a moment as she slows a bit. 'She doesn't seem like an enemy…but ya never know.' She thinks uneasily watching the girl as they speed through the forest.

"Nothing much, I was just exploring!" Eva calls excitedly smiling brightly making Alma nearly loose her balance and gawk at her in astonishment.

"Why are ya exploring? An' Mirrors Brook outta all the places!" Alma asks jumping to the ground and looking as Eva follows and shrugs. 'Exploring?' She questions herself again as Eva shrugs and smiles.

"Don't know I thought it'd be neat, oh well it could've been worse. I mean the place could be over-run with Methuselahs." Eva smiles as Alma sighs and nods when they heard some twig snap.

"Get down!" Alma quietly hisses dropping to the ground and pulling Eva with her, hiding underneath some of the underbrush. 'Please don't let it be an enemy…' Alma silently pleads when they see Tres emerge from the trees and scan the area. Alma lets out a silent sigh of relief as she stands up and brushes herself off. "It's only you Tres. Ya scared me for a second!" She chirps walking over and patting Tres on the shoulder.

"Sorry, where is Scarlet?" He asks in a monotone voice as Alma sighs and shrugs as she walks back over to Eva and helps her up.

"Don't know." Alma answers shrugging her shoulders, "This is Eva! Eva meet Tres, Tres meet Eva!" Alma says as Eva walks over and shakes Tres' hand a big smile on her bright face.

"HI!" Eva chirps shaking his hand. "It's nice ta meetcha! Are you a robot?" She suddenly asks as Alma covers her mouth to stifle a laugh.

"…Alma, where did you find this girl?" Tres asks as Alma stops laughing and her face pales a moment and Eva gasps.

"Hey!" She exclaims and glares at him a moment before continuing, "I'm not just a girl! My name is Evangeline…Eva for short!" She scolds glaring at him as Alma quietly laughs again.

"In the woods…while we were running from Tyran…" She meekly whispers glancing at the ground when Scarlet lands from one of the trees, a sleeping Tyran over one of her shoulder.

"Yo!" She greets smiling as Alma gawks at her speechless.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?" She demands quickly running over to check on Tyran. 'He looks terrible!' Alma silently exclaims feeling his forehead.

"Nothin," Scarlet answers coldly but continues when Alma glares at her, her dark brown eyes cold and demanding. "Okay I may have used Terrore carceris on him but other than that nothin!" She quickly says as Alma scoffs.

"WHY WOULD YOU USE THAT ON TYRAN?" Alma questions glaring at Scarlet as she opens continues, to be sure he was okay and notices a bruise on his head.

"Well he did run into a tree…" Scarlet grumbles not looking at Alma for a few moments.

"…I know that! But ya tackled 'im to the ground!" Alma snaps sighing as she gently takes Tyran off of her shoulders and sets him on some soft grass.

… … …

"That could have gone better." Ace mumbles silently opening her window and climbing into her dark room. "I forgot the number one rule, 'never underestimate yer opponent." She quotes as she closes the window and turns on one of the lamps near her bed. "I won't make that mistake again." She growls her as she balls up her fists.

"I better get cleaned up to go out an' look for Tyran see if I can find that jerk." She scowls as she sits on the bed a moment sighing. 'Can't believe he left without telling me…worse the targets I'm chasing are after him too!' She inwardly growls as she stands up and walks toward the bathroom. "I suppose it could be worse…don't see how though." She grumbles softly.

"Sometimes I forget why I'm a bounty hunter when the people I team up with don't ever listen to me." She groans as she closes the door.

… … …

"ugh…" Tyran silently groans in pain in his sleep.

"Oi, Scarlet what do ya think he's dreamin' bout?" Alma asks picking up a twig and poking him in the shoulder with it. 'Hope he don't wake up.' She thinks poking him again earning her a slight twitch.

"Ooh looks fun!" Eva chirps picking up another stick and starts poking him in the other shoulder Alma laughs and nods.

"It is isn't it!" She laughs as Scarlet sighs and takes both of their sticks away. "HEY!" Alma shouts reaching for the sticks but Scarlet dodges her attempts and jumps into the trees melting into the shadows laughing.

"Leave 'im alone Alma, yer the one that wanted ta help 'im remember!" Scarlet scoffs from the trees, hidden in the shadows as Alma scoffs. "Besides what do you have ta worry 'bout, nothing!" Scarlet yells as she jumps down smirking at Alma.

"…I know that!" Alma retorts walking back over to Tyran as she rolls her eyes. "White Phoenix's Blessing." She murmurs squatting down beside him as white flames encircle his body and slowly cover his entire body. 'Only thing I'm worried 'bout is if this doesn't help…what if it makes it worse?' She silently questions herself as her hand glows a faint white color.

"Tres! I'm gonna go back to the inn an' take Eva with me!" Scarlet says walking over to Eva. "I need ya too stay here with Alma, got it? I'll need someone to be sure she's safe and that Tyran doesn't try anything." She orders looking at Tres as he curtly nods and Alma scoffs.

"I can handle myself!" Alma retorts as Scarlet rolls her eyes and shakes her head.

"I know that but I want someone to look after you." She sternly answers as she takes Eva's hand and jumps up. "Later!" Scarlet calls vanishing.

"Jerk…" Alma grumbles giving her full attention back to Tyran and the white flame's that encircle his body. "Well Tres I guess it's just you an' me…plus a K.O Tyran." She jokes as Tres nods.

"Affirmative, what are the flames doing? Do they not hurt him?" Tres asks pointing at the flames as Alma laughs.

"Nah, they won't hurt 'im." She answers smiling and continues, "In fact just the opposite really, their helping him." Tres looks at her confused a moment as she shakes her head laughing.

"Yer confused?" Alma teases as he nods. "It's one of my powers the flames don't hurt, they heal." She calmly states. "I don't really wanna go too deep into how they work but that's what they do, the white flames heal." She continues smiling as Tres nods.

"I see, you are not going to answer my question further are you?" He questions as Alma smiles.

"Right!" She chirps happily as Tres sighs and sits by one of the trees. 'But I'm not sure if they're really helping…Shadow's control is real strong…' She sadly thinks watching the flames.

_**Hope ya'll enjoyed! I'm sorry if the ending ended kind of badly…'TIL NEXT TIME!**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Ello again, I'm so sorry for the long update but I finally got it! Okay just a heads up the first part of this story has nothing to do with the current story line but I plan on entering these characters soon for one of my friends and anyway just tell me what you think of it. Thanks!**_

Chapter 10

"I told you Sage there's no use in lookin' for some'tn that doesn't exist anymore!" A young brunette hair teen calls to the girl in front of him her long silky black hair swaying slightly as she walks. 'Stubborn as always, how can she even be my sister?' He silently ponders as Sage glares at him with her cold grey-blue eyes. "What?" He asks as she turns back.

"You Drox, the Guardians are still out there! I won't stop until every last one of them has felt the pain our parents felt!" She growls softly glaring at the road ahead.

"I've told ya Sage! It ain't their fault!" Drox argues as Sage stops and glares at him her eyes blazing with hatred.

"THEY TRUSTED THE HUMANS! AND NOW WE SUFFER!" She shouts. "I WILL MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF THEM DIE!" She continues startling Drox.

"…Then what?" He questions her as she stops and thinks a moment.

"Then I guess I'll die too." She coldly answers as she turns and walks away.

"Sage that's not what I meant." Drox sighs softly looking defeated at his sister.

"Oh?" She questions as she chuckles and continues, "What did you mean then?" She mocks as Drox sighs hanging his head low in shame.

"Whether you want to follow me or not it doesn't matter, yer on yer own bro." Sage calls over her shoulder as Drox scoffs and follows her.

"I can't let my little sister go off on her own." He sighs as she scoffs a disgusted look on her face.

"Whatever you say dear brother." She mocks sarcastically as she takes off running.

"SAGE!" Drox calls running after her but stops seeing that she's already gone. "It's useless I might as well try finding the Guardians home." He growls as he turns and walks off. 'Even then I'd have better luck finding that than catching up to her!' He inwardly shouts as he stomps off. "She doesn't understand that I'm telling her the truth! The guardians weren't responsible for the Destroyers' demise!" He shouts to the air when a small brightly colored bird flies down and lands on a branch chirping at him.

"WHAT?" He demands glaring at the small bird as it continues to happily chirp its cheeks puffed out as it sings. 'I'm yelling at a bird…how pathetic.' Drox silently groans face palming and hanging his head in shame.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp!" The bird sings happily as if laughing at Drox's misery. "Tweet, tweet, tweet!" It continues as Drox glares at it.

"That's it!" He shouts chasing after the bird as it takes off into the forest. "I'M GONNA KILL THAT BIRD!" Drox yells speeding after the swift bird not noticing the dark figure above him.

"Just what I need two 'Destroyers' wondering around…" Shadow scowls as he watches with great boredom Drox chasing after the poor little bird that was franticly trying to escape. "This could turn the whole thing upside down though..." He continues an evil smirk spreading across his dark features.

"GET BACK HERE BIRD!" Drox shouts as Shadow smirks and forms a small black orb in his right hand.

"I could make him my puppet…" Shadow begins as a sick and twisted smile forms on his face, "Or I could just kill him now and get him out of the way." He says as the orb seems to devour all the light near making it look like a void and his eyes turn into thin slits.

"DROX GET YER BUTT MOVIN', WE AIN'T GOT ALL DAY!" Sage shouts as Shadow growls and the orb slowly diminishes.

'I was about to get rid of him…' Shadow thinks growling as Drox stops chasing the bird and grunts.

"I'M COMIN!" He shouts grumbling as he walks towards his little sister scowling when he feels a cold shiver pass over him. "What the?" He questions glancing up at the sky but seeing nothing besides the few clouds that floated by. 'What was that just now?' He silently questions searching the sky and still finding nothing.

'Dang…he nearly found me…' Shadow scowls peering through the cloud he's hiding behind. 'I better get back home before they notice I'm gone…' He thinks vanishing in a small black puff of smoke.

"DROX!" Sage shouts glaring at him, her blue-grey eyes filled with rage and foot tapping the ground impatiently.

"SHUT YER YAP I'M COMIN!" He retorts stalking towards her every now and then glancing back up to the sky before continuing towards his furious sister.

"YEA WELL YOU AIN'T COMIN' QUICK ENOUGH!" Sage retorts as Drox rolls his eyes and grumbles.

… … …

"Okay so what's the real reason ya came to Mirrors Brook?" Scarlet asks Eva as they fly through the trees.

"I told Alma earlier that I just wanted to explore the country, I don't really have a destination." Eva replies taking out a gem and looking at it, its soft blue hue shining in the night. "I got this little beauty when I went to a small town…oh what was it called I can't remember." Eva continues mainly talking to herself as Scarlet sighs and rolls her eyes.

'This girl can't be serious I mean she acts all ditzy but is this really what she acts like?' Scarlet thinks sighing as Eva tucks the jewel away safely in her coat pocket. "Are you actually serious, yer just an explorer?" Scarlet asks as Eva looks back up and nods a smile on her bright face.

"Yep, I always wanted to be an explorer, I was finally able to become when I went on a trip with one of my friends!" Eva excitedly cheers as Scarlet shakes her head.

"Ya got way too much energy Eva!" Scarlet mocks as Eva, laughs and nods in agreement.

"I know but I don't I'm not sure where I got all of it from!" Eva chirps beside Scarlet when they reach the edge of the forest and appear on the other side of town.

"Well looks like we're here, come'n I'll show ya where we're stayin' and let you meet the others." Scarlet says tugging Eva's shirt and walking towards their inn. 'If she is just an explorer what harm could she do?' She thinks looking at Eva a moment.

"Alright now I get to meet your other friends! I'm so happy!" Eva cheers, doing a little happy dance in front of the hotel. "Ooh what are they like? Do they talk like ya'll?" Eva asks as Scarlet sighs and grumbles, walking into the hotel and up the somewhat sturdy stair case.

"I guess they're alright." Scarlet answers with a scowl on her face when they reach their room. "Knock, knock." She bluntly says knocking on the door when they see the handle turn and Abel poke his head out.

"Hi Scarlet!" He greets opening the door as Scarlet and Eva walk in. "Whose this?" He asks kindly shaking Eva's hand.

"My name's Evangeline but you can call me Eva!" She greets back shaking his hand and smiling.

"It's nice to meet you too…um how did you end up meeting Scarlet?" Abel asks laughing slightly.

"Oh I was exploring." Eva says calmly a soft smile on her face.

"Wanna a piece of candy?" Scarlet asks as Eva nods and Scarlet gets a piece of caramel from Alma's backpack. "Here! Alma loves caramel she only gets the best." She laughs as Eva pops the caramel into her mouth.

"It's so good!" Eva chirps a broad smile on her face and laughing.

"I know! Here have a piece." Scarlet calls tossing a couple of pieces to Abel and Leon.

"I'm not too sure Alma would let us…" Abel says as he looks at the golden fool uncertain.

"Nah, she won't mind I do it all the time!" Scarlet reassures them as they shrug and eat the candy.

"It is good!" Abel says as Scarlet laughs a wicked grin on her face.

"I was lyin' Alma hates it when I steal her caramel. She chews me out because she saves up all her money and I go an' steal some." Scarlet laughs making everyone in the room choke on the candy.

"Why would you do that?" Leon gags coughing to get the candy unstuck.

"Don't know I always do it. You have to admit that Alma has good taste when it comes to choosing a good type of candy though." Scarlet slyly says avoiding all their anger as she continues to chew on her caramel.

"I don't care you shouldn't do that!" Leon scolds as the caramel finally loosens enough to stop choking him.

"Oh, that reminds me have you ever heard of a woman named Ace?" Abel asks as Scarlet calms down and looks at him.

"Don't know what's she look like?" She asks.

"Tall, ivory-ish skin, long hair that fades from crimson to black with bright red eyes…" Abel says unsure rubbing the back of his neck.

"I don't think so ya'd have to ask Alma she's better at remembering appearances." She answers shaking her head as Abel sighs and looks at Leon. "Why?" Scarlet asks after a moment.

"She attacked us and we think she may be helping Tyran." Leon answers as Scarlet nods in deep thought.

"That would make sense…but then she's probably a bounty hunter not actually in league with Tyran or Shadow." Scarlet coolly says flopping down in one of the other chairs. "I bet if we can talk to her like just a normal conversation then she'll end up helping us." She continues lounging in the chair.

"What makes you think that?" Leon scoffs rolling his eyes.

"Oh nothing much but I doubt she knows what Shadow's actually planning an' if she did know she wouldn't like it." Scarlet answers closing her eyes and leaning her head back.

"Why? What is Shadow planning exactly?" Abel asks as Scarlet lets out a heavy sigh.

"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me." She merely states gazing out the window. 'I don't even believe it myself…but Alma doesn't even know, he'd never tell her or he knew she'd go ballistic on him.' She thinks a sad smile appearing on her face.

... … …

"TYRAN LOOK OUT!" Alma shouts as Tyran gets tossed to the side by a massive dark wave.

"I told you guys you shouldn't of ran." Shadow mocks, stepping forward a crazed look on his usually stoic features. "If you come back now I won't hurt ya'll…well too much." He laughs his dark energy pouring off of him in waves.

"Forget it!" Scarlet shouts as ice and shadow form around her, Tyran and Alma take a couple steps back to get further away from the two.

"This won't end well for any of us…Tyran you're going to have ta make a run for it." Alma whispers to him as he shakes his head.

"What? Are you nuts Alma I'm not gonna leave you two-" He tries to argue but is silenced by Alma's cold glare.

"We can handle ourselves, besides you're not like us you're still vulnerable to his control…" She calmly says as Tyran looks at the ground defeated.

'Why are they the only ones not affected by Shadow's powers…why can't I be of any help to them?' Tyran thinks closing his eyes and tightening his fists.

"Tyran you have to go now." Alma says as he nods and turns when they hear the sounds of Scarlet's and Shadow's energies colliding. "Now, go now we don't have any more time!" She cries shoving Tyran forward when everyone's engulfed in pure blackness.

"Dang it…" Tyran whispers as Shadow stands in front of him a cynical smile on his face. 'No…Alma and Scarlet…' He thinks looking around and seeing the two passed out.

"Well seems like you're the only one to stay awake…Tyran." Shadow mocks picking him up by his throat and choking him.

"Yeah I'm the luckiest man in the world…" Tyran retorts glaring at Shadow.

"You know that's what I've always admired about you Tyran," Shadow sneers. "You've always been able to act tough whenever you're really one of the weakest of our kind." He mocks making Tyran gag for a moment.

"Yeah, I kind of picked that up from you!" Tyran growls as Shadow's eyes darken to almost a solid black and a low rumble erupts from his throat.

"I'll let that slide, now to business will you join me or will you continue to fight me like those two." Shadow asks as Tyran spits in his face.

"I'll follow you when I'm dead!" Tyran growls as Shadow smirks and wipes of the spit.

"Fine have it your way, habet umbra." Shadow coolly says as he drops Tyran to the ground. "I really would have preferred you to follow me willingly but you're just too stubborn." He solemnly sates as Tyran is enveloped in darkness.

… … …

"AGH!" Tyran cries suddenly awake and alert, he instinctively lashes out at whoevers around him.

'I wasn't finished, dang it he'll just attack whatever gets in his way at this point.' Alma thinks abruptly stopping the flames and narrowly dodging one of his cyclones.

"Alma stay back!" Tres orders taking out his guns and aiming for Tyran who turns and growls at him, his eyes blazing and his canines extended to more like fangs.

"Tres don't shoot!" Alma shouts pushing Tyran to the ground as Tres begins to fire. "You can't hurt him!" She scolds jumping up and dodging another of Tyran's attacks. 'He doesn't even know what he's doing.' She thinks growling as she moves Tres out of the way of another attack.

"Explain the reasoning as to why I cannot harm him when he is attacking us." Tres demands in a monotone voice as Alma sighs and they dodge another attack.

"The technique I was TRYING to do is called immunem ab umbris it frees anyone under any form of influence by a darkness wielder. I didn't get to finish it fully in fact I only got half way!" Alma explains raising her voice as she does. "But luckily if it is interrupted at any time and it's over half way through then it continues on its own accord!" She finishes yelping at the end as one of Tyran's wind blades slices her right arm.

"…In other words he is not responsible for his actions because he is not in complete control?" Tres questions as Alma nods and sighs.

"Yep!" Alma chirps ducking as an invisible wave flies over and cuts some of her hair. "…but we need to get him to go back to sleep or tire him out if we want to survive!" Alma quickly says as the wind slices he left cheek.

"Falcatae impetu venti!" Tyran shouts as a massive wind blade launches itself at the two.

"DUCK!" Alma shouts diving to the ground and dragging Tres with her as it zooms over their heads.

"Frangat terra venti!" Tyran shouts as the earth begins to shake and the wind picks the two up off the ground and tosses them into some trees.

"Yep…this will not end well for us unless we manage to get him to calm DOOOWWN!" Alma yelps as another trees comes flying and smacks her in the face. "owww…why…?" She cries rubbing her face, tears streaming down it.

"Ha! You truly are pathetic aren't you?" Tyran mocks, taking a step towards her as Tres raises his guns again.

"Do not take a step closer or I will harm you." He orders making Tyran stop a moment before his crazed grin widens and he launches another attack.

"I didn't take a step closer did I?" He asks in an innocent voice as Alma glares at him.

'How can I tire him out? I mean Tyran's got to be one of the most capable of us…he just has to much stamina plus his wind attacks keep us to far for a close range…' "THAT'S IT!" Alma shouts jumping up and releasing one of her flames making it collide with Tyran's causing a minor explosion.

"What're you doing?" Tyran growls glaring at Alma and narrowing his cold eyes at her.

"Well…I'm not sure exactly only goin' on instinct here buddy!" Alma chirps launching another attack as Tyran's wind blows it out. "Pretty good Ty!" She laughs as a large fireball forms in her hand. "But not good enough ignis erumpens!" She calls tossing the ball as it explodes in Tyran's face sending him flying backwards.

"I thought you said not to hurt him." Tres bluntly states as Alma quickly turns and nervously laughs.

"Ay I only said 'you' can't hurt him i never said anything about me not hurtin' 'im!" She scolds as Tres sighs defeated.

"Affirmative but does that not apply to you?" He asks when he notices a flash of movement behind her but before he could say anything or move, a massive wave of earth and wind slice into Alma sending her to the ground.

"Scalpere terram ventosum!" Tyran growls standing up from the rubble a slight burn mark on his face.

"…forgot how he usually reacts with a strong attack after getting knocked back…" Alma groans standing up shaking the dust off. "Tres I have an idea but I'll need yer help in order to even get past step one!" She quickly says as she walks over to Tres and whispers her plan in his ear.

"That could work but why are you the decoy?" Tres asks narrowing his eyes at her as she smiles sheepishly.

"Because it's my plan an' I decide what part everyone gets!" Alma pouts sticking her tongue out at him.

"I see no point in arguing with you over something that you will not listen to." Tres bluntly states standing up and reaching towards his guns.

_**Kay hoped you enjoyed! I know I'm not that good but I'm trying and would really like to know what I could to make the story or characters better!**_


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Scarlet gazed lazily out the window when she noticed the trees begin to shift and the wind pick up speed. 'That's never a good sign if Tyran's ANYWHERE in the area.' She thinks sitting up and watching the wind speed up more.

"Something the matter?" Eva asks looking up from her paper that she had been doodling on only a moment ago.

"I'm not sure but I have a bad feeling…" Scarlet answers calmly, hiding the worry as she feels a knot in her stomach. 'Curse it…Alma's probably fighting him an' she won't hurt 'im if he ain't in control!' She thinks gritting her teeth and quickly standing up nearly knocking over her chair.

"What's wrong Scarlet?" Abel asks as she stalks towards the window and sees the wind blowing harder but it seemed to be focused mainly on a part of the eastern forest.

"This is definitely not good…" Scarlet growls lowly glaring out the window feeling the knot in her gut tighten. 'Alma's not doing too well I have to go and stop this.' She thinks turning and walking towards the door.

"What won't end well?" Leon asks her raising one of his eyebrows in curiosity.

"Come'n we need to find Alma." Scarlet orders, startling everyone at her sudden loudness hazel eyes blazing.

"Why? What's happening?" Abel quickly asks as Scarlet leaves the room everyone trailing behind her. 'I don't think I've ever seen her act like this, it must be important.' He thinks watching as she silently marches down the hall.

"Something bad that I hope to stop before it gets any worse." Scarlet says when the building starts shaking and they all wobble and fall on their butts. 'That was one of Tyran's earth attacks! Just what are those three doin'? Alma probably won't let Tres hurt Tyran an' she won't hurt him for a while herself…damn it!' She inwardly curses quickly getting up and trying to get away with the building still shaking.

… … …

"Ah! Whoa! Why is the building shaking?" Ace asks wobbling with the building and falling on her face. "OOF! Owww, stupid earthquakes!" She growls holding onto the bedpost for support.

'I gotta get outta here before the whole think collapses on me!' She thinks standing up and hobbling towards the door grabbing her bags on the way. 'I'm going to kill Tyran when I see him again!' She thinks growling as she opens the door and rushes out of her room colliding with someone on the way.

"Ow!" Eva cries as Ace smacks into her and they both crash to the ground as the shaking stops.

"OWWW, MY FACE!" Ace cries holding her face rolling on the ground in pain.

"AH YOU'RE THE GIRL FROM EARLIER THE ONE THAT ATTACKED US!" Leon shouts pointing an accusing finger at Ace as she looks up and pales.

'Crud…of all the people it had to be these idiots.' Ace thinks groaning as she quickly stands up and tries to run but Scarlet grabs her by her shirt. "A LE' GO OF ME!" She shouts struggling but Scarlet only grips her shirt tighter.

"HI! My name's Evangeline, Eva for short!" Eva greets taking Ace's hand and shaking it a broad smile on her face.

"…Um…My name's Ace…It's nice to meet you?" She questions as Eva's smile grows and she laughs.

"I'm an Explorer!" Eva proudly states laughing as Ace sighs and chuckles.

"I'm a bounty hunter…" She answers shaking her head. 'I'm nuts to be talking to this crazy chick! I mean who just comes up to someone and acts like this…' Ace inwardly scolds herself.

"SWEET, WHO'RE YA HUNTING?" Eva excitedly asks as Ace coughs and shakes her head.

"Fraid I can't tell you that's private information." Ace coolly says making Eva whimper and become depressed. 'This chick really is nuts!' She thinks in shock watching the girl in front of her.

"COME'N TELL ME WHO?" Eva pleads shaking Ace repeatedly until she's dizzy.

"Fine…I'm hunting two chicks named Alma and Scarlet, happy?" Ace grumbles dizzily as Eva suddenly stops and laughs.

"I KNOW THOSE TWO! THEY'RE REAL NICE!" She happily yells scaring everyone in the hallway.

'Did she just…tell this hunter she knows us...?' Scarlet thinks her mouth twitching in a strained smile.

"Really do you know where they're at?" Ace questions surprised. 'This chick is nuts! But she told me she knows who I'm hunting which means…she could know where they're at!' She thinks happily.

"Yea! Scarlet's behind me and Alma's off in the forest fighting Tyran!" Eva calls happily completely oblivious to everyone's look.

"No way…" Ace says instantly paling when she notices Scarlet glaring at her. 'That must be Scarlet…Shadow told me that if I want to take them out separately to get Alma…' She thinks laughing nervously. "So you're the infamous Scarlet…nice to meet you." She says as Scarlet scoffs.

"Tell me do you have any idea what Shadow's plans are?" Scarlet asks as Ace stops and thinks a moment.

"No I have a policy called don't ask don't tell. If I don't ask then they don't have ta tell." Ace bluntly states as Scarlet rolls her eyes. 'She likes to change the subject quick don't she?' Ace silently questions.

"Uh-huh what if you ask an' they don't tell." Scarlet mocks, as Ace grows quiet for a moment.

"…I've never asked…I don't see the point in it." Ace quietly murmurs as Scarlet lets go of her shirt and she falls. "Oof!" She grunts land on the floor.

"Figures all you bounty hunters are alike you only do it for the money ya'll don't even care who gets hurt in the process or why the people you've been paid to hunt are hunted!" Scarlet growls stomping away leaving a surprised Ace on the floor everyone else staring at her but quickly follow her.

'…I've never been told that before...' Ace thinks sitting on the floor. "Dang it she right…well besides the only wanting to get paid part…okay that might be true but I do feel sorry for the people…" She growls lowly standing up and dusting herself off. 'I guess I should follow them so I can find out why they're being hunted and if I still want to go after them…maybe.' She thinks picking up her bag and walking after the others.

… … …

"Tres I think we're actually tiring him out!" Alma cheers, dodging another attack. "I think we'll be done by dinner!" She chirps pushing her loose hair out of her face and adjusting her hat.

"Positive but what will happen when he passes back out?" Tres asks as Alma sighs and jumps into the air and lands on the other side of Tyran who's encircled with wind and rocks glaring at her.

"We try to keep him asleep!" Alma happily calls holding onto her hat as the wind howls.

"…I see." Tres bluntly says sighing as Alma smiles and dodges a boulder. "I sometimes wonder about her." He quietly adds ducking behind a tree to dodge a torrent of rocks.

"Okay…NOW TRES!" Alma shouts as Tres nods and fires at Tyran drawing his attention as Alma jumps into the storm of wind and earth. 'I sure hope this works.' She inwardly sighs.

Tyran growls as he uses rocks to deflect Tres' bullets when he gets knocked down by Alma landing on top of him.

"Hiya Ty! How ya been?" Alma chirps as he growls in return and glares at her with his cold eyes. "Okay so you could be better." She happily says as he tries to throw her off but she doesn't budge.

"GET OFF!" Tyran shouts making a boulder come up out of the earth and slams into Alma sending her flying into some trees.

"AHH!" Alma cries in pain as her mid back connects with the tree and a loud crack is carried by the wind.

"Alma!" Tres shouts dodging another boulder.

"That hurt…" Alma whisper, trying to rise up but falls as she feels a pain erupt throughout her body. "Heh I think I cracked my spine…so nice…" She groans as a circle of white flames covers her mid-section. "Incendia pugna sanitas…this should help…" She whispers quietly.

"Damage report, Alma?" Tres asks as he sneaks over and helps her up when he notices the flames encircling her. "What is the purpose of the flames?" He asks as she dusts herself off.

"It'll help me heal while I'm still in combat…I'm gonna try to get close to him…except this time I won't put whacking into the tree an' nearly breaking my spine in the plan!" Alma happily says as Tres nods in a reply and she jumps off into the storm.

'I sure hope this works…' She thinks letting out a sigh as she lands in front of Tyran. "You know that wasn't the nicest thing Ty." She scolds shaking her finger at him he only grunts and glares at her in return. "Oh come'n Tyran I ain't gonna hurt you!" She says taking a step forward as he growls.

"Stay. Back!" He barks taking a step back and getting into a fighting stance his eyes never once leaving Alma's eyes.

"Why are you so certain I wanna hurt ya huh? I only want to help!" Alma says as he attacks but she ducks and before he can counter she pops up and hugs him. 'Please, let this at least speed up the process!' She inwardly begs

"GET OFF! LE' GO OF ME!" Tyran shouts struggling but Alma's grip only gets tighter.

"I ain't hurtin' ya, calm down Tyran!" Alma says hugging him tighter when he forces the wind between them and manages to pry her off and send her flying. 'Not again!' She thinks when she crashes on top of Tres.

"Damage report?" Tres asks as she gets off and helps him up then dusts herself off.

"I'm fine just a bruise and a couple of scratches nothin' serious." She replies brushing the dirt off her arms and adjusting her hat, when the two notice the storm disperse and see Tyran glaring at Alma.

"YOU HAVE CROSSED TOO MANY BOUNDRIES!" Tyran roars glaring at Alma.

"What boundary it was JUST A HUG!" Alma argues as Tyran's eyes darken. "…If looks could kill I think I'd of already died well over a hundred times…" She whispers as she smiles.

"I DON'T CARE YOU STILL CROSSED A BOUNDARY!" He shouts back as he raises his arms and shouts, "Irae ventus equum!"

"Oh no…" Alma whispers as the wind howls and blows her and Tres away. "THIS IS NOT FUN!" She shouts over the wind grabbing onto an exposed root to anchor herself as Tres does the same.

"I do not see the point in that comment when was this ever supposed to be fun?" Tres deadpans as Alma's mouth twitches and she laughs.

"Just some'tn I say! I don't mean it literally!" Alma laughs when she hears a crack and her root breaks. "AHHH!" She cries as she goes flying around in the wind like a rag doll. 'If I do this for any longer I'm gonna barf…' She thinks curling up in a ball to ease her stomach.

"Alma!" Tres shouts gripping onto his root so he doesn't fly away.

"HA! Pathetic!" Tyran mocks as the wind dies down again and Alma falls and lands in front of him. "What happened to the girl that would've killed anyone that so much as taunted her?" He sneers kicking her in the side.

"What girl? That girl sounds like Scarlet!" Alma chirps standing up and looking him in the eyes. 'His eyes are nearly solid black which means that he's fully under Shadow's influence…so this could almost be over…' She sadly thinks as he rolls his eyes and scoffs.

"You're a terrible liar." He states bluntly getting into a fighting stance. "But you're also terrible when it comes to attacking friends." He mocks as he attacks Alma who dodges and blocks his other attacks.

"What makes you think that?" Alma asks as she whips around and round house kicks him.

"I've known you for most of our lives you can't fool me for a second." Tyran taunts blocking her kick only to get blown back by a fire ball.

"Really? Too bad, I was hoping you'd be worn out by now!" Alma retorts smiling as she launches more flames at him. 'How much longer before he passes out?' She thinks growling as she continues her assault.

"Well to bad!" Tyran growls throwing some more wind slices that collide and make her flames explode.

"Tyran!" Alma calls as she gets behind him and hugs him from behind again. "Maybe now you'll calm down, immunem ab umbris!" She softly says as a column of white flames erupts from the ground and engulfs the two.

"AGH! LET GO, GET OFF!" Tyran shouts as a cyclone encases the flaming column.

"NO! NOT UNTIL YOU CALM DOWN!" Alma shouts gripping him for dear life. 'Of course I'm not calm myself but still!' She thinks as the flames grow.

"LE' GO!" Tyran shouts once more when the flames vanish and they both go flying.

"AHHH, NOT FUN TYRAN!" Alma screams as she keeps her death grip on Tyran. "HELP, I'M BEIN' THROWN AROUND IN THE AIR BY A MANIAC!" She screams at the top of her lungs.

"SHUT UP, VENTUS SILENTIUM!" Tyran shouts making the wind suddenly stop and both of them fall.

"AHHH! I DON'T WANNA DIE!" Alma cries when they land Tyran lands on top of Tres and she lands on him with a grunt.

"GET OFF, YOU WEIGH A TON!" Tyran shouts trying to get Alma off.

"Negative it is impossible for Alma to weigh a ton." Tres comments earning him a death glare from Tyran and Alma laughs and jumps off of the two.

"SHUT UP!" Tyran growls trying to form a cyclone but it disperses in the air. "What the?" He growls, trying form another but fails.

"I told you, you were worn out!" Alma chirps holding out her hand and helping Tres up. "But nooo you don't listens to me." She mocks as Tyran hobbles a moment.

"What did you do?" Tyran growls as he hobbles again and falls onto the ground.

"Nothing…"Alma slyly says a smirk on her face.

"Liar!" Tyran snaps as he sways and holds his head. "You did something with your flames!" He growls as she shakes her head.

"Me? No never." Alma coolly says as he growls at her. 'He pushed his limit which means my technique is about to finish!' She excitedly thinks inwardly jumping for joy.

"You're lying!" Tyran scowls at her as his head begins to spin and everything goes fuzzy. 'What's happening I can't see…an' my bodies so tired but I haven't done a lot.' He thinks numbly not noticing Alma's smile grow.

"Night, Tyran!" She sweetly says walking over to him as he falls back and falls asleep. 'Finally, now I need to get him out of here!' Alma happily thinks. "Tres we did it!" She cheers as she picks up one of Tyran's arm. "Help me!" She calls as Tres sighs and walks over to her getting his other arm.

"What did you do that caused him to pass out?" Tres asks as they start walking towards into the forest.

"Nothing, he pushed his limits Tyran can't use his wind element to much it takes a massive toll on his body." Alma calmly says as Tres nods.

"I see…" He merely states in his usual monotone voice.

"We're all like that if we use our main element too often it comes back tenfold, which is a real pain in the butt." Alma continues laughing slightly. "I did that one time…not fun." She says as her face contorts in pain when the white flames vanish from her midsection and dozens of wounds appear. "This isn't good." She grumbles letting go of Tyran's arm and sits down on the ground.

"Alma what is the matter? Why have your wounds only appeared now?" Tres asks setting Tyran onto the ground and kneeling down beside Alma.

"Remember what I said about using our powers?" Alma asks as Tres nods. "Well I kind of pushed my limit…an' that technique I used in the beginning only keeps the wounds healed until after battle…kind of stupid I know." She explains laughing as she rubs the back of her head.

"Why did you not tell me this before now? My sensors show you have internal bleeding and several fractured if not broken bones." Tres bluntly states as Alma smiles nervously.

"Because I kind of forgot how much damage Tyran can cause with his attacks…" She answers softly as Tres shakes his head.

"We must find Scarlet and the others so we can get you medical treatment. I will go while you stay here, don't move." Tres orders coldly as Alma nods and smiles sweetly.

"You got it! I won't move a muscle!" She calls waving as Tres sighs and heads into the forest. "Now all I have to do is wait…I'm bored already! Alma cries slumping against a tree. "Ow! Not the best idea." She whines cringing in pain. 'Scarlet's gonna be mad when Tres find her an' tells her what happened…' She thinks sighing as she looks up at the night sky filled with stars.

"It's been awhile since I've seen so many stars…" Alma whispers softly noticing the wind blow softly. 'The last time I saw this many was the night when we had to run from one of our best friends…' She thinks sadly letting out a soft sigh. "I wish we could've stopped all this but what can we do the past is gone." She calmly states leaning her head back against the tree.


	12. Chapter 12

**_Hi people! I'm sorry it took so long to add this chapter I was busy with school and yada-yada. Anyways hope you like this chapter. I do not own any of the characters from Trinity Blood...well till next time!_**

Chapter 12

"ALMA! TRES! WHERE ARE YOU?" Scarlet hollers searching the forest for the two but to no avail. 'I have to get to a higher view point.' She franticly thinks as she jumps to the tops of the trees and looks around. "Nothing…" She growls searching for any sign of wind or fire but sees only the empty cool night.

"SCARLET THEY AREN'T HERE WE SHOULD GO LOOK SOMEWHERE ELSE!" Leon shouts up at her.

"But…I can barely tell that they're still here…we'll have to search the whole forest…" She whispers as she jumps down in front of them.

'The wind stopped a little bit ago…it was last coming from…' Ace thinks hiding in the trees as she looks up at the night sky. 'Over to the east…maybe they're still there…' She thinks as she silently jumps to another tree and heads east. "Maybe if I find them I can get some answers from that no good deserter!" She seethes under her breath.

"I think we should divide into groups!" Scarlet says suddenly making everyone stop and look at her.

"That sounds good but what if we find them?" Eva asks tilting her head to the side in confusion.

"Well whoever finds them can have Tres shoot flare into the air to show us their location…" She answers as the others nod in agreement. 'That is if Tyran hasn't destroyed him yet…' She thinks to herself closing her eyes a moment.

"That sounds like a plan! Abel can go west, Eva north, me east and you can go south!" Leon exclaims when Scarlet shakes her head.

"No we came from the south you an' Abel'll go to the east while I go west!" She corrects as Leon sighs but nods.

'She's so stubborn but it couldn't help listening to her…' Leon thinks looking her in her eyes. "Alright fine we'll do it your way." He states as she nods and runs off to the west. "Why's she got to be so stubborn?" He growls as he and Abel head east.

"Don't be so hard on her Leon she's probably just worried about Alma," Abel calmly says a kind smile on his face. "To us it seems that they are the only family they have left." He continues glancing up at the night sky.

"Yeah but it seems like she's-"Abel says when the bushes rustle and twigs snap. "Who's that?" He questions in a low voice as Leon silently steps forward.

"Don't know but whoever it is could be bad news…" Leon replies in a low tone getting ready for a fight when a raccoon runs out and they both fall to the ground.

"Well…at least it wasn't an enemy right?" Abel shakily asks sitting on the ground.

"I guess but it was just a raccoon!" Leon argues as Abel nods nervously.

"We have to stop being so paranoid." Abel says standing up and dusting himself off as Leon follows suit and nods a scowl on his face. "Besides we have to find Tres and Alma or Scarlet will perhaps skin us both." He laughs.

"I wouldn't hold it past her." Leon grumbles making his way through the bushes and continues to grumble.

"I wonder why she got into such a rush…" Abel questions out loud. "I mean Alma seems like she can handle herself right?" He continues as Leon shrugs.

"I don't know but she's got Tres and we both know he can handle himself." Leon answers, ducking under a tree branch.

"I know but-OOF" Abel calls whacking into the branch and falling to the ground. "Oww…"He cries holding his face and rolling on the ground.

"Get up, we have to hurry and find those two." Leon says helping Abel to the ground when they hear rustling again.

"AH!" Ace shouts falling out of the tree and landing in front of the two priests. "Um…hi?" She says waving nervously quickly scrambling up and jumping onto a tree's branch.

"Why are you following us?" Abel asks looking up at her as she glares at them with her crimson eyes.

"I'm not following you." She bluntly states looking behind her and seeing Tres walking through some bushes. "Your little robot friend is coming this way." She says standing up and jumping through the trees. 'That's only one of them though…which means that the other two are still somewhere in the forest.' Ace thinks quickly passing Tres as she continues toward the east.

"HEY GET BACK HERE YOU NO GOOD FOR NOTHING BOUNTY HUNTER!" Leon shouts, running after her and running into Tres. "Ow! Tres, when did you get here?" He asks as Tres brushes some leaves off.

"I was searching for you and the others." Tres bluntly states. "We must hurry and get back to Alma she is severely injured and needs medical attention." He says turning to leave as Abel appears and they both follow him.

… … …

Alma sat quietly watching the stars when she hears a twig snap and quickly raises up. "Who's there?" She growls lowly when Ace jumps down in front of her staring at her with burning eyes.

"So your Alma, you don't look to tough, my name's Ace by the way since you probably didn't know." Ace mocks, shocking Alma.

'How's this chick know me? Could she be working for Shadow?' Alma thinks inwardly panicking when she sees Tyran still passed out. 'I have to keep him safe…' She thinks quickly recovering and glaring at Ace. "Looks can be deceiving." She coolly says standing up and squaring up to Ace.

"Heh, you seem a bit too cocky." Ace mocks glaring at Alma taking notice of the blood stains on her shirt and pants along with the cuts on her arms and legs. 'Did she get all those from Tyran?' Ace thinks not noticing Alma raise her arms.

"Catena flammarum." Alma quietly states as flaming chains come out of the ground and encase Ace sending her to the ground.

"AH! You brat!" Ace shouts struggling to break the chains only to have them tighten.

'I probably could've avoided that…but I don't want to take the chance of her getting to Tyran before he wakes up.' Alma thinks jumping over Ace and sprinting towards Tyran. 'Now the question is can I risk getting out of here or will my wounds stop me?' Alma ponders as she kneels beside Tyran looking back to see Ace shout and the chains shatter. 'Crud…' Alma thinks quickly but gently picking Tyran up and taking off.

"HEY GET BACK HERE!" Ace shouts chasing after Alma dodging the branches and narrowly avoiding the roots. 'Dang it…' She thinks seething clenching her fist tightly as she chases after Alma. 'Maybe I should have told her I wanted to help…' She thinks not seeing Alma stop and ends up running past her by the time she sees her. "AH!" She cries hitting a tree dead on.

"Later!" Alma chirps turning in a different direction to avoid Ace. 'Scarlet's this way…if I get to her an' the others I'll have a little bit more time to heal.' Alma thinks zooming past the trees.

… … …

"Alma." Scarlet growls feeling a sudden wave of power come from behind her. "Dang it, I'm heading the wrong way." She seethes quickly turning and running in the direction of the power surge. 'I hope Abel and Leon are close to her...' She thinks worrying as she speeds up and becomes nothing but a blur moving through the thick trees.

"Tres, how much further until we find them?" Leon asks watching the man in front of him and letting out a sigh.

"We have approximately five hundred meters." Tres replies quickening his pace when a blur passes them and stops in front of the group to reveal Scarlet.

"You guys better hurry up." She states glancing back her eyes were no longer a gentle hazel but now an icy cold blue that shined in the night. "Or you'll miss all the action." She snickers speeding off again as everyone breaks into a run trying to keep up with her.

… … …

"Okay…so she's not over here." Eva sighs slouching as she looks at all the trees.

"AHH! GET OUTTA THE WAY!" Alma shouts narrowly sliding past Eva and slamming into a tree with her back. "OWW!" She cries sliding to the ground still holding Tyran.

"Are you okay?" Eva asks quickly recovering from her shock and walking over to Alma.

"Fine…jeez Ty sleeps like a rock don't he?" Alma jokes handing the still sleeping Tyran to Eva and getting up. 'Just what I need another bruise on my spine.' She thinks scowling when Ace appears out of nowhere out of breath.

"Dang, how fast can you run?" Ace asks catching her breath straightening up and notices Tyran in Eva's arm. 'Well guess I found him.' She thinks sighing and lowering her head when she gets slammed into a tree. "Agh let go!" She growls glaring Alma her crimson eyes meeting Alma's burning brown ones.

"Why should I you work for Shadow!" Alma demands, holding Ace against the tree her forearm over Ace's throat. "He's nothing but a monster all he cares about is getting his way!" She growls as Ace stays silent noticing Alma's eyes beginning to turn a reddish color.

"I have moral boundaries an' whatever he's planning I don't like it! Besides I'm here to help you." Ace replies coughing as Alma presses down on her throat harder and gasps for air and dropping to the ground after Alma releases her.

"Why would you want to help us?" Alma growls her eyes burning a mix of brown and red.

"Like I said earlier if I have moral boundaries and it's obvious that he likes to play dirty which I don't approve of." Ace coughs catching her breath when Scarlet and the others appear from the bushes and trees.

"You guys look worse for wear." Alma says smirking as she looks at Leon and Abel, twigs caught in their disarrayed hair.

"Shut up!" Leon shouts hanging his head low and pulling the twigs and leaves out glaring at Tres. "You didn't have to drag us!" He snorts clicking his tongue and continues to pull twigs out.

"Negative you and Father Nightroad were moving to slow. We wouldn't have been able to keep up with Scarlet had I not dragged you two." Tres deadpans glancing back at the two then looking at Alma for a moment. "Sensors indicate that you still have fractured bones and minor internal bleeding." He states as Alma laughs and nervously rubs the back of her head.

"I know…you see Ace came by," Alma explains pointing at Ace who growls and sends her death glares. "And I thought she was an enemy so I attacked her and ran away taking Tyran with me..." She continues laughing nervously. "I ran to the closest person who was Eva and when Ace appeared I pinned her to a tree." She says sitting on the ground.

"BUT SHE IS AN ENEMY SHE ATTACKED US!" Abel and Leon shout in unison nearly knocking Tres and Scarlet over.

"She said she wanted to help us." Eva speaks up tilting her head in confusion as Alma and Ace nod in agreement.

"YEAH CAN'T I HAVE A CHANGE OF HEART?" Ace argues glaring at Leon and Abel. "Besides it was just business if I really wanted to kill you two I would've done it while you weren't looking." She bluntly states crossing her arms and scoffing.

"Why you little…!" Leon growls lowly glaring knives and daggers at Ace who merely shrugs it off.

"Leave her alone Leon she could be a good ally." Scarlet growls glaring at him a moment then, turning her attention back to Ace. "But don't think we're going to trust you just like that." She coolly says her eyes turning back to their natural hazel.

"I sure hope not!" Ace retorts clicking her tongue at Scarlet. "If you did that'd probably mean that you were all either too stupid to know when to trust someone or you just think I'm naturally good." She finishes standing up and patting herself off.

"Well I think people are naturally good." Alma states looking up at Ace, her eyes now a deep chocolate brown like before. "Don't you?" She asks earning her a roll of the eyes and a click of the tongue from Ace.

"I don't know most of the people I've met aren't." Ace states in a bored tone looking the other direction. 'She's nothing like Shadow described to me neither of them are.' She thinks glancing at Alma through the corner of her eyes.

"Then you have really suckish luck!" Alma responds trying to stand but falls to her knees. 'Dang it…' She thinks gritting her teeth. 'I haven't even used that much energy but have to use that technique and then run before my wounds have healed seemed to push my limit…curse it all.' She thinks sitting back and closing her eyes in an attempt to slow the spinning world around her.

"Alma!" Scarlet says quickly going to her side and sighing. "I've told you not to push yourself out of all of us your powers make you the most vulnerable to exhausts them." She scolds her as Alma looks away and scowls.

"At least I helped Tyran." Alma states stubbornly as Scarlet sighs and growls.

"You're so stubborn!" She scoffs helping Alma to her feet. "Why are you so stubborn?" Scarlet asks earning her a shrug from Alma.

"You're asking me? Heck if I know!" Alma states tiredly ignoring the pain surging through her body.

"…It was rhetorical!" Scarlet shouts, as Alma laughs nervously.

"I know but still…" Alma retorts quietly closing her eyes. 'I'm so tired…I'm gonna have to go to sleep soon…'She thinks sighing softly.

"Ugh…why's my head hurt?" Tyran groans quietly his eyes opening slowly.

_**Well hope you liked this chapter!**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**Hi it's me again sorry it took so long I was stuck on the ending and had to go to a place where Wi-Fi was a no go. Well hope you enjoy, the next chapter may break off from the story line some or may, not still debating but if it does then it'll show you a day in the life of the infamous Shadow. Enough with my chit chat on to the story!**_

Chapter 13

"Ugh…why's my head hurt?" Tyran groans quietly his eyes opening oh so slowly. "What happened?" He asks softly startling Eva making her drop him. "Ow!" He cries rising up and rubbing the back of his head.

"Yo, Tyran!" Alma says smiling sheepishly waving at him as he stares at her in shock. 'He's awake but that doesn't mean it worked…' She thinks sadly.

"Alma?" He questions getting up his mouth slightly ajar. 'What happened to her?' He thinks still in shock staring at her wounds.

"Yep the one an' only!" She replies smiling brightly despite her wounds.

"What happened?" He asks taking a step towards her noticing the others glaring at him. "Who're they?" He questions staring at them his head tilted in confusion. 'I don't think I've ever seen them before but they seem so familiar especially the three…priest?' He thinks looking their clothes.

"They're friends." Alma smoothly answers cringing slightly at the pain. 'Well maybe it did work!' She thinks breathing a sigh of relief.

"But I don't know them." Tyran answers in confusion looking back at Alma then the group. "Are they your friends?" He asks as Alma nods and smiles.

"Ya, but they won't hurt ya so don't worry too much." Alma says trying to comfort him.

"Uh-huh…what happened to you, you look terrible?" Tyran says concerned as he walks over to her but stops when Tres puts a gun to the back of his head. 'What the, who is this guy?' He thinks glancing back at Tres his eyes wide with shock. 'Why's he got a gun to my head?' He thinks silently panicking looking forward again. 'What if he senses fear? I'm not scared am I?' He thinks his body trembling with nervousness.

"Tres don't shoot him he doesn't know what's going on!" Alma firmly orders looking directly at Tres who reluctantly pulls his gun away and puts it back in its holder.

"How has he lost all previous memory of attacking you and me and holding Fathers Nightroad and Leon captive?" Tres questions as he steps back but not too far so that if Tyran attacked he'd still be able to attack or subdue him.

"That's simple…but I ain't in the mood I'm tired an' beaten an' just want to sleep so ya'll can leave Tyran alone for a couple of moments right?" Alma sharply barks startling Tyran who jumps back slightly.

'Did I hear him correctly?' Tyran thinks looking at Tres. 'Did he say I attacked them?' He thinks before shaking his head. "Alma what's going on? What does he mean by attacked and help captive?" He demands in a confused tone as Alma shakes her head.

"Not now like I said I'm too tired to deal with this!" Alma states raising her voice, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. 'I really can't yell at him, he has no idea what's going on…but I'm so tired…' She thinks looking at the ground her hat covering her eyes.

"Well I need answers!" Tyran retorts and starts to continue but is silenced by Alma's death glare. 'Alma can get when she's not in the mood to talk!' He thinks shivering slightly from fear.

"Good-night, I'll answer all questions when I wake up." Alma states closing her eyes as she lies down by a tree and goes to sleep. 'Or Scarlet can answer them while I heal.' She thinks smiling slyly as she drifts off to dream land.

'She fell asleep…' Tyran thinks seething silently "YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!" He shouts pulling his hair.

"Tyran!" Scarlet scolds startling him and making him go stark white.

'Please don't let it be Scarlet!' He inwardly pleads turning around and looking at her still white. 'Why me?' He inwardly begs. "Hey…Scarlet how's it going…OW!" Tyran cries falling to the ground after Scarlet's hand connects with the back of his skull.

"Don't play stupid why are you acting like you don't know what's going on now?" Scarlet demands glaring at him, as he stares at her. 'Why would Alma talk so casually to him…could it be?' She thinks hiding her shock.

"I'm not playing around I can't remember anything except…" Tyran answers, but stops in midsentence.

"Except what?" Scarlet asks her eyes softening lightly. 'No, Shadow wouldn't do that not to Tyran…would he?' She inwardly questions herself sadness slowly replacing her rage.

"I don't know everything's sort of fuzzy…" Tyran answers closing his eyes and trying to focus. 'I can't remember anything past waking up from being dropped an'…the night we ran away…' He thinks frustrated.

"Well what's the last thing you clearly remember?" Scarlet asks looking him in the eyes.

"I remember the night we were on the run…" Tyran says closing his eyes and concentrating. "We were in a forest at night…Alma and the two of us were dressed in the traditional clothing…" He says as the wind blows gently. "But after that nothing besides waking up here." He finishes opening his pale jade eyes that seemed brighter and bluer but were filled with confusion. 'What fills in the gap though?' He ponders noticing Scarlet in deep thought. 'Why do I have a bad feeling about this?' He thinks closing his eyes trying to calm his uneasy stomach.

"Tyran have you ever heard of pupa umbra?" Scarlet asks breaking from her deep thought. 'Shadow wouldn't dare use that on Tyran though they were best friends.' She thinks hiding the pity that had consumed her entire being.

"Yeah, it's a forbidden technique that only shadow wielders can perform…" Tyran answers skeptically. "Isn't-" Tyran begins but Scarlet interrupts him.

"Shadow able to use it, yeah he is one of the only ones that have ever fully mastered it." She says crossing her arms and scoffing.

Tyran stared at her a moment letting the gears turn in his head before getting what she was saying. "WAIT YOU MEAN HE USED A FORBIDDEN TECHNIQUE ON ME TO MAKE ME HIS PUPPET?" He demands springing up shock written all over his face and staring at Scarlet in disbelief.

"Yeah at least that's what I think Alma probably knew it way before me though." Scarlet answers nodding her head, as Tyran nearly falls over from disbelief.

"YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING!" Tyran roars stomping his foot on the ground and shaking his head. 'How could he! Why would he?' He thinks seething his fist clenching.

"I'm not, Tyran if that's the last thing you can remember for now then you'll probably remember them later...maybe." Scarlet coolly states turning her gaze towards Alma as Tyran's gaze follows hers and he sees Alma whose wounds still haven't healed fully.

'Does that mean I'm responsible for all of her wounds?' He thinks sadly. "That's all? I thought it'd be worse." Tyran says laughing nervously.

"You're right it could be worse you could've killed Alma." Scarlet bluntly states shrugging her shoulders.

"YOU ARE NOT FUNNY!" Tyran retorts fuming. "Now tell me what happened! How come I didn't snap out of it when I was fighting her?" He demands looking Scarlet in the eyes, his eyes blazing.

"I don't know! Maybe Shadow was too in control or she wasn't seriously fighting you! I don't know Alma knows more about this than me!" Scarlet answers, neither of them noticing Alma roll over and sit up glaring at them.

"WHAT KIND OF ANSWER IS THAT SCAR?" Tyran shouts his face filled with rage.

Scarlet's face flushes red with embarrassment but quickly fades to anger. "SCAR IS A DUDE'S NAME SO DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME THAT TYRANT!" She fires back in a mocking tone.

"I CAN CALL YOU THAT IF I WANT TO BUT YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO CALL ME TYRANT!" He retorts fuming as Alma silently watches the two bicker back and forth.

'Well it seems like its' back to normal…sort of…' Alma thinks crawling over to where Abel and the others are. "Cept we have more friends." She says looking up at Tres and smiling.

"NO YOU CAN'T SINCE I'M OLDER THAN YOU ARE!" Tyran barks pointing at Scarlet.

"A COUPLE HUNDERD YEARS DOESN'T COUNT TYRANT!" Scarlet shouts in a mocking tone glaring at Tyran, everyone noticed that the air had suddenly become colder.

"IT'S STILL OLDER SO SHUT UP AND DON'T CALL ME THAT!" He shouts at the top of his lungs the wind picking up speed making it colder.

"It's so cold and this DAMNED wind isn't helping any either!" Leon shouts to no one in particular shivering and rubbing his arms to warm himself up.

"Yep he's back to normal." Alma states chuckling lightly and nodding her head not even a bit cold.

"WHY THE HECK AREN'T YOU COLD?" Ace and Leon shout in unison at Alma.

"I'm used to it, though if it gets any worse I'm going to have to stop them." She answers calmly shrugging her shoulders.

"And how do plan on doing that?" Abel asks looking at her, when the wind starts to howl and ice forms on the ground and trees.

"Oh that's simple." Alma states as she stands up and brushes herself off. "Like this!" She chirps holding up both her arms and murmuring something under her breath, when two columns of flames engulf the two. "You two done now?" She asks jokingly as the flames die down and everyone sees the two crouched in fetal position.

"ALMA, WHY'D YOU DO THAT?" Scarlet shouts sending death glares towards Alma.

"Well you two were arguing and it was about to escalate to an all-out brawl and I'd rather not get into another fight." Alma huffs turning away her arms crossed over her chest.

"When'd you wake up?" Tyran asks tilting his head to the side looking at Alma.

"Whenever you two," Alma says pointing at them. "Started arguing over how terrible Scarlet's answer was and started to call each other stupid names." She finishes standing up.

"Oh..." Tyran says looking around a bit.

"Ha! Tyrant ya looked like an idiot!" Scarlet mocks sticking her tongue out at Tyran.

"I told you not to call me that." Tyran growls menacingly.

"TYRANT, TYRANT, TYRANT!" Scarlet mocks her eyes challenging Tyran.

"WHY DO YOU ALWAYS CALL ME THAT? I AM NOT A TYRANT!" He shouts igniting a battle between the two.

"Well…that didn't work…" Alma says smiling and chuckling nervously.

"Because I can, and yeah you do act like a tyrant!" Scarlet answers scoffing and looking away.

"I do not!" Tyran defensively argues throwing his hands into the air.

"Do TOO!" Scarlet growls as she puts her hands on her hips and rolling her eyes at Tyran.

"Do not! Alma tell her I'm not a tyrant!" Tyran begs looking at Alma and pointing towards Scarlet with an accusing finger.

"DON'T DRAG HER INTO THIS! ALMA TELL HIM HE DOES TO ACT LIKE A TYRANT!" Scarlet says glaring at Tyran then looking at Alma.

"Actually I'd rather not…" Alma answers looking at the ground and spotting two round stones. 'Those could work.' She thinks ignoring Scarlet's and Tyran argument.

Alma looked at the two stones in front of her before deciding to pick them up and weighed them in her hands. "Maybe this'll work?" She murmurs tossing the rocks up then throwing them at Scarlet and Tyran hitting them in the head.

"OWW!" They shout in unison whipping around and glaring at Alma their faces red with rage. "ALMA!" They bark loudly.

"WHY'D YOU DO THAT?" Scarlet demands, rubbing the back of her head where Alma's rock had hit her.

"WHAT'VE I TOLD YA ABOUT THROWING ROCKS AT PEOPLE?" Tyran asks earning him a shrug from Alma.

"I forgot you haven't told me in a while. Besides," Alma slyly says smiling softly. "Ya'll know it was the only way to get you two to stop arguing." She answers in a knowing voice.

"Yeah you haven't told us anything in a while Tyrant." Scarlet mocks smirking.

"I told you not to call me that!" Tyran snaps his hands clenched in fists.

Their bickering went on for a few minutes before Alma finally snapped and yelled at them both. "ENOUGH! YER BOTH ACTING LIKE TWO YEAR OLDS! SCARLET DON'T CALL TYRAN TYRANT! TYRAN DON'T TELL SCARLET WHAT TO DO! " She shouts silencing both of them almost immediately and shocking everyone else.

"Sorry…" The both say in unison hanging their heads low in shame.

'I forgot how scary Alma is when she's mad…' Tyran thinks gulping and taking a couple steps back away from her.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't it a bit sad that Alma is the youngest but seems to be the mature out of the three?" Abel whispers quietly to others who nod in agreement.

"I didn't think she could be so demanding! Remind me never to make her snap." Ace says stunned.

"Wow! Alma lost her cool!" Eva giddily says a broad smile on her face. "I never thought that'd happen!" She says laughing earning her crazy looks from everyone. "What? It's true I may not have known her for long but she seemed pretty level headed." She says trying to justify her actions.

"I should really get going." Tyran says suddenly as he turns and starts to leave. 'I can tell I did something bad to them when I wasn't…me…' He thinks sadly not noticing Alma chase after him.

"No you can't go! We just got one of our friends back!" Alma cries wrapping her hands around his waist nearly making him loose his balance.

"Alma!" He says in a shocked tone glancing back at her regaining his balance. "What're you doing? Let go of me!" He says trying to pry to off but to no success.

"No! Not until you promise not to go!" She whines tears brimming her eyes as she looks up at him.

"What are you nuts? Get off!" Tyran says falling to the ground when Scarlet tackles him from behind. "OW!" He says smacking face first. "Ya'll know this isn't the best way to get me to stay!" He states bluntly spitting dirt out of his mouth.

"But if we let go you'll go back and he'll make you evil again!" Alma cries loudly tightening her hold.

"Who said I was gonna go back?" Tyran asks yelping when Scarlet smacks him in the back of the head. "Ow! What was that for?" He demands wincing as a knot forms.

"Where else would ya go? It'd be better if you stayed here then you won't go bad and hurt an innocent again!" Scarlet states bluntly her hazel eyes blazing.

'Their right…if I go back then…I'm not gonna think about it.' Tyran thinks closing his eyes and nodding. "Ya'll are right I'll stay." He says sitting up when the two release him.

"You promise?" Alma asks her lip pursed out as she looks up at him with sad teary eyes.

"Yes…" He answers looking off to the side an annoyed look on his face. 'Why's she always do that when I say I'm going to do something.' He thinks sighing softly.

"YAY!" Alma chirps as she and Scarlet hug Tyran.

"Ack!" Tyran chokes gasping for air from their death hugs. "Le' go…" He coughs through gags.

"Sorry!" Alma says as she and Scarlet quickly let go and help him up. "I'm so glad! It's like we got part of our family back together!" She cheers jumping up and hugging Tyran and Scarlet's necks.

"Yeah I'm glad too but could you quite CHOKING me!" Scarlet demands glaring at Alma a moment, then looks back at Tyran.

"I swear you guys got even more insane over the years…is that even possible?" Tyran asks looking at the two.

"Shut up!" Scarlet retorts crossing her hands over her chest and turning her back towards him.

"Oh!" Alma gasps remembering that there are others there besides the three of them. "I forgot, Tyran since yer back to yer old self you need to meet the others!" She says happily pulling Tyran towards Leon and the others.

"WHAT?" Leon and Abel shout in unison shock feeling their voices.

"Oh come'n you guys he won't hurt you!" Alma scolds looking at the group.

"HE WON'T HURT US?" Leon demands in a baffled tone. "HE TRIED TO KILL YOU!" He states pointing at Tyran who squirms uncomfortably from the groups disapproving stares.

"True but he wasn't himself so can't ya'll forgive him?" Alma asks in a pleading voice.

"I don't know…" Abel uneasily says looking at Tyran then back at Alma.

"Please? He won't hurt you guys he's actually a nice guy!" Alma pleads giving them puppy eyes.

"We can't trust him! I don't care if he was himself or not!" Leon growls as he glares at Alma.

"Why not? I'm sure he already feels terrible you don't have to make him feel any worse." Abel says to Leon in calm tone looking at Tyran.

"Yeah, listen to Abel you big jerk!" Alma says surprising Leon.

"Why do I always get made the villain?" Leon sighs hanging his head low.

"Because yer a jerk that doesn't have any sympathy." Alma bluntly states hugging Tyran.

"An' you call me rude." Tyran bluntly says looking at Alma.

"I guess we don't have a choice we're going to have to let the Cardinal meet Tyran." Abel sighs hanging his head low.

"YAY!" Alma cheers as she jumps into the air.

"Why are you happy, what about me I don't think the Vatican will be too happy having a bounty hunter with ya'll or an explorer." Ace speaks up pointing to Eva and herself.

"That's true maybe you two can hide out an' help us secretly!" Alma says looking at the two.

"I think that'd be fun then we'd be like ninjas!" Eva cheers as she jumps up and down laughing. "What do you think Ace?" She asks looking at Ace who gives her a crazy look and shrugs.

"I don't care that sounds better than having to get griped out by an old lady." Ace says in a bored tone.

"I guess I'll stay with you since I don't have anywhere else to go." Eva smiles to Ace.

"WHAT? NO YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BE STAYING WITH ME!" Ace shouts glaring at Eva.

"Why not I don't have anywhere else to go besides you won't even know I'm there." Eva says in a pleading voice looking at Ace with puppy eyes.

"…Fine but if you're a nuisance then I'm going to kick your sorry butt out!" Ace says glaring at Eva.

"I got it!" Eva laughs smiling brightly as Ace sighs and turns.

"I swear its people like you that make me wish I was a hermit." Ace sighs hanging her head low. "Later I guess we'll see you guys some other time." She calls as she takes off towards the forest.

"Bye Alma, Scarlet! I wish your group luck!" Eva happily calls waving at the group as she quickly follows after Ace.

"Bye I guess…" Alma says blinking a few times and uncertainly waving at the two retreating figures. "I guess we should get going to huh?" She says looking at the group.

"I guess so…those two are odd aren't they?" Tyran says looking at the forest and shaking his head. "Almost as bad as you two." He says looking at Alma and Scarlet.

"Yep you're definitely back to your old sarcastic self." Scarlet growls as she stomps on Tyran's foot.

"Owowowowow!" Tyran cries holding his foot and hopping on one leg. "That hurt!" He cries glaring at Scarlet.

"You deserved it." Scarlet bluntly states crossing her arms and scowling.

"I didn't deserve that!" Tyran retorts rubbing his foot and glaring at Scarlet.

"This will be a very long trip back…" Abel sighs as Scarlet and Tyran begin bickering once more.

"Yep." Leon bluntly states.

"Positive it appears that Scarlet argues with Tyran more than Alma…it will definitely be a long trip if those two continue." Tres states in his monotone voice.

"SHUT UP!" Alma shouts abruptly stopping the argument. "If you two are finished with your little discussion we should get going so Tyran can meet Katrina." She huffs turning towards the group.

"Fine." They answer in unison.

"Good now let's get going!" Alma says walking past Leon and the others. "Hurry up I think I know a short cut." She calls as the others quickly follow.

"Yer not going to do what I think yer going to do are you?" Tyran uneasily asks looking at Alma.

"Maybe," Alma slyly says looking back and smiling. "What do you think I'm going to do?" She asks as Tyran shakes his head.

"Now I know what you're thinking about doing." He states in a cold tone. "An' you know I don't like it." He finishes coldly.

"It'll cut the time of travel by more than half and you'll be safer once we're there." Alma answers as she stops and looks back at him.

"I don't care ya ain't fully healed." Tyran stubbornly says as he motion to her arm which was the wound was still fairly raw but it had stopped bleeding.

"It won't ever heal…the cut was too deep it'll become a scar." Alma bluntly answers as she continues through the forest.

'And I'm the one responsible for it…' Tyran thinks sadly as he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "Doesn't matter you still won't be able to perform it well with that injury." He says as he shakes his head and looks at Alma.

"Does it matter? You know you can't stop me if I've already made up my mind." Alma states in a matter of fact voice.

"Yeah I've had to learn the hard way…how about I just do it so you don't make it worse." Tyran solemnly says looking Alma in the eyes.

"…Fine." Alma stubbornly says crossing her arms and scoffs.

"Okay so now that you two have worked out an agreement mind telling us what ya'll are planning?" Leon asks as Alma nods and smiles.

"Yep, the idea is to fly to the church." Alma vaguely explains.

"Fly?" Leon asks his eyebrow raise in suspicion.

"Yep, fly Tyran can control the air currents so he can use them to lift us up," Alma says motioning towards the air. "Then he can create a jet stream like current that goes directly to the church and BOOM!" She exclaims throwing her arms into the air. "We're back at the church safe! If he does it right then we can get there in about oh what do you say Tyran maybe thirty minutes?" Alma asks tapping her chin.

"I think that's pretty close give or take a few minutes." He answers looking up to the sky. "And since there is a jet stream over us I won't have to work too hard to gain speed." He finishes looking at the group.

"Really that is good isn't it?" Abel asks looking at Tyran who nods but stays silent.

'It is but that could also been risky…I can't control the jet stream that well.' Tyran thinks uneasily as he looks at Abel and nods. 'But I'm pretty sure I can control it good enough to get us there.' He thinks closing his eyes.

"Alright so we need to find a clearing so you can send us up easier!" Alma says running off into the forest.

"Wait up!" Scarlet shouts chasing after her leaving all the guys by themselves.

"Um…I guess I'll just wait…" Tyran whispers scooting back a few feet away from the group.

"Where do you think you're going?" Leon growls watching Tyran his navy blue eyes narrowed.

"Away from ya'll." Tyran bluntly answers as he scoots back again until he reaches a small boulder and sits on it. "Ya'll don't like me, especially you." He says pointing at Leon. "I can understand why but I what I don't understand is why you're acting like I'm still a villain if I was, do you honestly think Alma or Scarlet would leave me alone with all of you?" He finishes locking his pale green eyes with Leon's navy blue.

"No…but you could just be a real good actor." Leon retorts as the two continue their stare down.

"As if, Alma wouldn't kill me but if she even had a doubt in her mind she sure as heck wouldn't leave me with ya'll. It's tough to fool her or haven't ya'll figured that out yet?" Tyran asks in a mocking tone a smirk on his face as he watches the group.

"We haven't known her for very long actually." Abel says before Leon can retort.

"Obviously." Tyran scoffs as he turns to where his back is towards the group. "I bet you haven't even known them for a week." He states snickering as he glances back at them before turning back towards the forest.

"Why you little!" Leon growls standing up his hands clenched in fists. "What makes you think you know everything huh?" He demands glaring at Tyran.

"I don't but I know more about them than any of ya'll." Tyran answers in a calm voice.

"That's true so how about we wait here for them and not try to kill each other!" Abel says trying to calm Leon down.

"Fine with me." Tyran says waving lazily at them as he doodles in the dirt with a twig. "Okay so I'm gonna have to…do this then that to get us up…which should land us on the jet stream then I have to stabilize it so we don't fall through…"He murmurs to himself as he continues to draw stick figures in the dirt.

"What's he doing?" Leon grumbles watching Tyran closely.

"I'm not sure but you should really try to be nice to him." Abel says giving Leon a disapproving look.

"What why-"

"NO! DANG IT IF I TRY THAT, WE'LL CRASH AN' BURN!"Tyran suddenly shouts falling backwards off the rock and rolls towards the group. "OW!" He cries as he pops up and dusts himself off. "Dang it…I gotta find another way to stabilize the darn thing…" He growls rubbing his neck and scowling.

"What's the matter?" Abel asks looking at Tyran with a concerned expression. "What do you mean by if you don't stabilize it we crash and burn?" He asks catching Tyran's attention.

"Nothing! I'll figure it out so don't ya'll worry." He quickly answers as he runs back over to the boulder and ducks behind and continues his doodles.

"He's lying." Leon grumbles under his breath and begins to quietly stalk towards the boulder. 'What is he doing?' He thinks as he peeks around and sees Tyran doodling and hears him talking to himself.

"If I use their weights to stabilize…no that won't work Tres' weight is to high he'll fall through…" Tyran murmurs as he erases some stick figures. "Maybe I could…no that won't work…would it?" He questions as he looks towards the sky. "If they're on something solid it would make it easier for the air to carry them…maybe I should try it!" He exclaims as he quickly jumps up and knocks Leon in the jaw. "OW, WHAT THE?" He shouts rubbing his head and sees Leon. "WHAT'RE YOU DOING?" He demands glaring at Leon.

"I WAS TRYING TO SEE WHAT YOU WERE DOING OVER HERE BEHIND THAT STUPID BOULDER!" Leon shouts back as the two begin a stare down.

"I WASN'T DOING ANYTHING THAT WOULD HURT YA'LL I WAS TRYING TO PREVENT THAT!" Tyran answers scoffing as he turns to leave.

"WELL ITS HARD TO TELL WHEN YOU'RE HIDING!"Leon shouts back grabbing Tyran's shoulder.

"WOULD YOU RATHER FALL TO YA'LLS DEATHS BECAUSE I WASN'T ABLE TO STABILIZE THE STUPID JET STREAM?" Tyran hollers spinning around and facing Leon.

"No we wouldn't!" Abel says quickly grabbing Leon and dragging him away. "What do you mean by that though Tyran?" He asks looking over his shoulder.

"Uh…I can control jet streams that I create but the ones that are already there are nearly uncontrollable even for the most advanced of the wind guardians…" Tyran explains hanging his head low trying to cover the blush that tinged his cheeks.

"Oh how come?" Abel asks holding Leon down. "Alma and Scarlet seem pretty confident in you." He continues.

"I KNOW THAT! I USED TO BE ABLE TO CONTROL 'EM JUST FINE…"Tyran shouts surprising Abel his face bright red with embarrassment. "But…I haven't done it in so long that I'm afraid I'll let one of ya'll fall through which is why I'd rather travel by a different method…." He says lowering his head again.

"I'm sure you will do fine!" Abel cheerily says walking over and patting Tyran on the back.

"Guys we found a good clearing!" Alma calls bounding out of the forest and runs over to the guys.

"It took forever! You'd think that a forest would have more clearings but no!" Scarlet barks following Alma a scowl on her face.

"Are ya'll ready to fly high in the sky?" Alma excitedly asks jumping up and down.

"I guess so…" Tyran quietly says as the others nod and follow the two girls. 'Well here goes nothing.' He thinks taking a few deep breaths to calm himself.

"Alright off we go onwards to VICTORY!" Alma happily calls leading the group into the dark forest.

"ALMA WE'RE NOT GOING TO WAR!" Scarlet growls glaring at Alma's back as Tyran shakes his head.

'I honestly think those two got even more insane over the years.' Tyran thinks as he smiles and amused smile and laughs quietly to himself. 'If those two think I can still control the jet stream then I have to as well!' He thinks puffing out his chest slightly.


	14. Chapter 14

_**Hi people again I'm so sorry for the long, long wait kind of got distracted and didn't have time but it is a pretty long chapter. This is a heads up if you don't want to read about a day in the life of Shadow (who is not that bad actually) you have been warned. Please review and leave constructive info! Thanks and enjoy! Oh almost forgot this chapter has a big chunk in the past of one of Shadow's memories! Now on with the show I will not bother ya'll any longer with my boring warnings and what not…**_

Chapter 14

"MICKELE GIVE ME THE BOTTLE!" The young man shouts holding his hand out to the other in front of him who was gripping a small twelve once bottle of liquor.

"B-b-but it's my vodka!" Mickele whimpers holding the nearly empty bottle close to him. "I won't let you get my vodka Shadow!" He whines tugging it even closer to him.

"Mickele I told you, you are not allowed to drink vodka you can drink any other liquor in the entire world but not vodka now give it to me!" Shadow growls as his eye brow twitches slightly and a vain appears, his ocean blue eyes blazing.

"BUT I LIKE VODKA!" Mickele stubbornly answers gripping the bottle even tighter when Shadow tries to take it from him. "NOOO ITZ MY BOTTLE!" He cries loudly clutching the bottle for dear life.

"GIVE IT TO ME!"Shadow orders tugging as hard as he can when Mickele suddenly lets go and Shadow goes flying.

"Fine I'll just go an' drink some soda." Mickele smugly says turning to leave a dazed Shadow lying in the hole he made in the wall but quickly comes back and tries to steal the bottle.

"Ow…HEY GIVE IT BACK!" Shadow yells, tackling Mickele to the ground before he can steal the bottle back. "NOW YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO DRINK IT!" He laughs triumphantly drinking the rest of the vodka.

"Shadow it took me over a year to save up enough money to buy that an' you just shot it back like it was some cheap wine!" Mickele shouts in disbelief as Shadow glares at him a moment.

"I wouldn't of if you'd just given me the danged bottle!" Shadow growls as he brushes the dust off of his dark clothes. "Besides like I said earlier you aren't allowed to drink vodka." He finishes as Mickele stands there seething silently.

"Then why do you get to drink MY damned vodka?" He demands as Shadow ponders a moment.

"Because it was the only way I could think of to get rid of it an' you'd only make an even bigger deal if I had just thrown it down and busted it." Shadow calmly answers holding his head groaning as nausea begins to come over him.

"Whatever, I'm going to go get a glass of water." Mickele scoffs as he turns to leave when he notices Shadow's queasy expression. "What? Are you not feeling well all of a sudden?" He asks watching Shadow sit down in the chair hanging his head low.

"I hate liquor…it always makes me feel sick…" Shadow groans putting his head on the table. "LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO!" He shouts as he sends death glares towards Mickele.

"IT AIN'T MY FAULT YOU WERE STUPID ENOUGH TO DRINK MY VODKA! YOU'RE A LIGHTWEIGHT IF THAT TINY SHOT MADE YOU SICK!" Mickele fires back.

"I AIN'T A LIGHTWIEGHT I CAN KEEP UP WITH TYRAN! It just makes me sick to my stomach if I don't drink a whole bunch at one time." Shadow answers groaning again as he puts his head back on the table.

"That doesn't make sense Shadow." Mickele bluntly states as he shakes his head. "I mean you can drink but if you drink to little you get sick…isn't it supposed to be the other way around?" He asks as he scratches his head.

"SHUT UP! JUST GO AWAY AND LEAVE ME ALONE!" Shadow barks as he raises his head and glares at Mickele.

"Fine, I'll go but ya can't yell at me later for YOUR mistake." Mickele snorts as he points at Shadow then leaves. "Later, oh fearless leader." He calls in a mocking voice from the hallway.

"SHUT UP MICKELE!" Shadow roars before putting his head back on the table. "I'm gonna be sick for the rest of the day…" He groans as he sluggishly stands up and stalks out of the opposite end of the room. "Stupid Mickele, an' his stupid vodka!" Shadow grumbles as he kicks the air a scowl on his face. "…I wonder how Tyran's doin'?" He muses quietly as he passes a room with a massive wall to wall computer screen.

"Oh, hi Shadow how have you been?" A middle aged woman asks looking up from her papers at the desk beside the computer screen.

"Hi, Isis an' I've had better days…I gotta go an' check on Tyran's progress." He says as the woman nods a soft smile on her face.

"I'm sure, have you been drinking?" She asks in a tone as if she already knew the answer.

"Blame Mickele he wouldn't give me his vodka bottle so I took it from him an' drank it so he couldn't get it." Shadow dryly states as he continues down the hall. 'My stomach feels terrible…' He thinks grumbling to himself.

"I understand have a nice day Shadow and you might want to leave Mickele's liquor alone he works hard to pay for it and savors it." Isis calls as she goes back to working on her paper work.

"Whatever he should spend his money on other more important things any way..." Shadow grumbles to himself as he reaches two large wooden oak doors and knocks.

"What is it?" A voice snaps from behind the doors making Shadow cringe slightly.

"It's me I just needed to ask ya somethin'." Shadow answers as he hears the person say enter in a cold raspy voice that sent chills down his spine. 'I always hate having to come here…' He thinks as he opens the door and steps into the dark room. "Why don't you turn on any-AGK?" He coughs as a hand of pure darkness pins him to the wall by his throat making him gag and cough trying to get air.

"What's the matter, Shadow aren't you a dark wielder?" The person sneers watching Shadow struggle a moment before releasing him. "You're pathetic and you thought you could lead us." He sneers hiding in the darkness.

"Why'd you do that?" Shadow coughs as he takes deep breaths and glares up at the man in front of him with his ocean blue eyes.

"You're always supposed to be ready for an attack. And as for your friend Tyran he's a traitor." The man dryly states as he watches Shadow's shock.

"What? Tyran, a traitor but he's-AGH!" Shadow cries as the man strikes his back with a hand of darkness once more.

"He's what, too loyal to you to turn?" The man mocks as Shadow cries once more as the Hand connects with his back.

'…One of these days he's gonna push me to far…' Shadow thinks growling as he ignores the pain and glares at the man. "I thought he was…why would he turn?" He asks in a pained voice.

"Why else he thought you were weak." The man dryly states as he turns and walks further into the darkness. "Or it could be because of those two treacherous girls that you called some of your closest friends." He says in a mocking tone as he vanishes and leaves a surprised and devastated Shadow.

"Was it because I was weak…but I try to keep everyone from harm an' Alma wouldn't force him to turn…neither would Scarlet neither of them act like that." Shadow whispers as he staggers up and glances at his back and sees a large black mark. "…How am I gonna hide that?" He questions quietly when he hears someone knocking on the door.

"SHADOW COME ON YOU HAVE A BUSY SCHEDULE AND WITH ALMA AND SCARLET GONE YOU DON'T HAVE ANY SECRETERIES!" Mickele calls from the other side of the door holding up a small sheet of paper covered in scribbles.

"HANG ON!" Shadow calls as he uses the darkness to form a black shirt over his mark. "That should do it." He murmurs to himself. "I'M COMING!" He calls as he runs to the door and opens it getting the paper shoved in his face. "MICKELE!" He shouts ripping the schedule off of his face.

"What I didn't think you'd get here quickly." Mickele smoothly answers as he grabs the schedule and holds it up. "Look at all the stuff you have to do!" He says as Shadow grumbles and jerks the paper out of his hands and looks at it.

"Shut up, I ain't in the mood." Shadow growls glancing at the paper a moment before tossing it to the ground and walking off. "I don't feel like going by my to-do list so I'm jus' gonna go take a nap." He calls from down the hall.

"SHADOW YOU ARE OUR LEADER YOU CAN'T JUST PASS THIS OFF AS SOME OTHER MEANINGLESS CHORE!" Mickele shouts chasing after Shadow holding the schedule in hand. "And besides without Scarlet or Alma you have to do something." He argues walking beside Shadow.

"I don't got to do anything! I told ya I'm going ta take a nap and then I'll do some things on that to-do list!" Shadow barks glaring at Mickele with cold dark eyes.

"Fine whatever be a slacker, I don't care!" Mickele shouts clicking his tongue and walking away from Shadow.

"Great…I'm gonna regret that later." Shadow growls under his breath turning down a corridor filled with no lights. "Why do I always get made the bad guy?" He quietly ponders looking up at the ceiling through a glass panel that shined with the afternoons light lighting up the corridor.

"Whatever he's right since Alma and Scarlet left I don't have anyone to help me with all the work…I still don't know why they left…" He whispers to himself turning his gaze towards the tiles their dark green colors contrast to the bright blue and white walls. 'I remember when we painted this Alma was determined to make it look like the spring time…she never finished though' He thinks sadly walking by a flower painted on the wall. "That was the only one she managed to paint before we got so busy…" He murmurs walking back and gently tracing the gold and red flower.

"She called it a…I forgot what it was but she gave it a silly name…" He muses, standing up and looking out of the window as a bird flies by. "I forget what we got busy with but she only had time to paint that single flower same with Scarlet's…" He whispers passing another teal blue and icy purple colored flower. "She wanted to add her own touch of winter to Alma's spring hallway." He chuckles softly closing his eyes.

"There's Tyran's he was always been good at drawing Earthy things…" Shadow says seeing a pale white and jade green flower on the other side of the wall. "If only I could remember what they called their flowers…" He says softly reaching two medium oak doors noticing a black and ocean blue poorly painted flower.

"That was my flower it wasn't as good as the others that's why I hid it over here in the corner…" He whispers shamefully. "Is that all I'm good for hiding in the corners letting others order me around?" He asks himself opening the doors to a spacious room that had simple dark colored sheets with dark colored walls. "Maybe if I take a nap I can forget about the past." He says walking over to the bed and crawls under the covers cringing as his back hits the blankets. "Dang it…that hurt." He says turning on his right side and closes his eyes quickly falling asleep.

… … …

"Shadow come'n we have to hurry!" Alma says in a rushed tone hurrying a drowsy Shadow down the hall.

"I'm comin, I'm coming!" Shadow growls pulling on his shirt trying to and failing to catch up with Alma's brisk walk. "I jus' woke up a few seconds ago cut me some slack Alma." He growls finally catching up to after she stopped and waited a few moments.

"Shadow." She says in a stern voice giving him a disapproving look.

'Crud…I hate that look she always has to lecture me when she has that look…" Shadow grimly thinks walking up to her and looking down to look her in the eyes. "Yeah?" He asks hiding the nervousness in his voice.

"You are now the leader of a very proud race of creatures and as leader you don't get any slack. You will never get any slack until you find another stronger to replace you." Alma says stopping a moment to look him in the eyes.

"Then why don't you-" Shadow tries to asks but is hushed by Alma as she continues.

"One that can handle the responsibilities, it can't be just anyone that is why Alitura chose you Shadow you can be a great leader if you would just take responsibility and not ask for slack every time you get the chance too." She gently but sternly says before turning to leave down the corridor its sky blue walls shining in the early morning's sun with the green tiles shimmering like the grass they were meant to represent.

"Wait! Alma!" Shadow calls chasing after her. When everything begins to blend and mix into dark ugly shades of greys and blacks. "What?" He asks startled as he begins sinking into the floor. "Alma! Help I'm stuck!" He cries trying to move his legs but only causes them to sink faster. "ALMA! SCARLET! SOMEBODY HELP!" He shouts panic filling his voice as he thrashes around more violently the goop now up to his chest and quickly rising.

"No one can hear you Shadow you're nothing but a weakling and now you're mine." A raspy voice laughs a sick twisted laugh as the darkness engulfs Shadow's entire body.

"NO! HELP-UGH!" Shadow coughs trying to stay above it and keep it out of his mouth…

"NO!" Shadow shouts shooting up and rolling into the floor drenched in sweat his breathing heavy. "It was a dream? But it felt too real…" He shakily says gasping for air looking around his room wildly his eyes wide and filled with panic and fear. "Why there? Why then?" He growls sitting cross-legged holding his head his body still trembling. "Why?" He whispers taking a deep breath to calm himself down.

"You know it's true that's why you allow 'him' to order you around and use you like a puppet." A voice says in a calm knowing tone as Shadow looks up and searches his room.

"Who's there?" He asks standing up and picking up the blanket that had wrapped itself around him in his sleep.

"You know exactly who I am…" They answer in the same tone.

"No I don't now answer me or suffer." Shadow growls forming a small black orb in his left hand.

"Suffer?" The voice questions as they chuckle lightly. "How can you make yourself suffer any more than you already do?" They ask appearing behind Shadow and quickly knocking him out. "Once you face the facts I will leave but until then I will show you how you are suffering." They say standing over Shadow a moment before disappearing.

… … …

"Uh…where am I?" Shadow asks opening his eyes and raising up. "What happened, the last thing I remember is that nightmare…?" He asks looking around his dark room shaking his head.

"SHADOW GET YOUR LAZY BUTT UP!" Scarlet shouts banging on the door making Shadow jump.

'When did she get back?' He thinks slipping out of bed noticing he only had on a pair of sweat pants on. "Huh? I went to bed with my clothes on how did I end up in sweat pants?" He asks himself going into deep thought.

"THAT'S IT COME OUT NOW OR I'M COMING IN AND YOU KNOW I WILL SHADOW!" Scarlet shouts banging on the door again.

"ALRIGHT! I'M COMING!" Shadow barks rushing over to the door and quickly opens it up when Scarlet hits him in the face. "OWW!" He cries falling to the ground holding his jaw. "I know I didn't deserve that!" He shouts glaring up at a surprised Scarlet.

"Well you should have come sooner and I wouldn't have hit you by accident." Scarlet retorts crossing her arms and looking away from Shadow.

"Liar you would have done it anyways." Shadow growls standing up rubbing his jaw. "When did ya get back anyways?" He asks earning him a confused look from Scarlet.

"What do you mean 'get back' we've been here for quite some time dumb nut." Scarlet says shaking her head. "Did you fall out of your bed again?" She asks when she doesn't get an answer she holds he head and sighs. "I swear Shadow you're too old to be falling out of your bed like a small child." She scolds not noticing Shadow's confused look.

'This isn't right she acts like she doesn't know that she ran away?' He thinks scratching his head when he notices the wall behind her. 'Where's Alma's flower?' He thinks silently panicking when he notices that the gold and red flower along with, the blue and purple flower are missing.

"Shadow, Shadow, Shaaaadooowww!" Scarlet says waving her hand in front of his face trying to get his attention. "What're you staring at Shadow?" She says snapping her fingers in front of his face breaking his train of thought.

"Huh?" He asks looking down at Scarlet then back at the wall. "Oh I was jus' wondering when Alma was gonna paint some flowers on the wall." He answers thinking up a quick excuse.

"That's why I came to get you! Alma said she wanted each one of us to paint a flower or something for the wall." Scarlet says clicking her tongue. "So hurry up and get dressed!" She orders swiftly turning and leaving closing the door behind her.

"This isn't right…it's the past…now I remember the day all four of us painted…why?" Shadow asks walking over to his drawer.

"To let you remember just what you've been missing while 'his' puppet." A voice says behind Shadow.

"You!" Shadow growls quickly turning only to see no one behind him. "Just who are you? Why are you making me remember this?" He demands fist clenched.

"I told you earlier or do you just have a thick skull?" They ask in a mocking tone.

"Shadow! Come'n Alma's waiting an' ya know how she hates it when yer late!" Tyran calls knocking on the door.

"Just about done just let me put on a shirt!" The voice calls mimicking Shadow who stares in shock at where it came from.

"Yo, dude ya alright ya don't sound too good. Do ya need Mickele to look at ya?" Tyran asks through the door.

"Go on tell them you are hearing voices see what they do." The voice mocks in a low whisper like tone. "Or you could just go with it." They say as Shadow shivers from feeling a cold pat on his shoulder.

"I'm fine Ty! Tell Alma I'll be there in a second!" Shadow calls opening the drawer and pulls on a dark green shirt and some jeans.

"Just go with it Shadow try to remember what it was like before you started being used." The voice whispers as it fades away.

"Alright ya got one minute to be out of-" Tyran begins but stops when Shadow opens the door and glares at him. "Never mind." He says holding his hands up and smiling.

"I'm coming why's everyone yellin' at me this morning?" Shadow asks closing the doors behind him as he follows Tyran.

"Dude we've been trying to wake ya up for the past thirty minutes. I think we got the right to yell at ya." Tyran bluntly states looking over his shoulder a cocky smirk on his face.

"That long?" Shadow asks stroking his chin. "I'm usually not that deep of a sleeper." He says looking at Tyran who nods and shrugs.

"That's what we thought but you were dead a sleep Alma was about to go in there an' be sure ya weren't dead." Tyran says laughing at the end.

"That's jus' wrong Tyran!" Shadow growls his face flushing red. "I ain't gonna die in my sleep!" He continues sending cold glares toward Tyran who merely shrugs them off.

"Shadow we both know that there is a new meaning to death glares when Alma an' Scarlet give them to someone." Tyran bluntly states poking Shadow in the forehead. "You an' I both learned that the hard way." He laughs as Shadow nods and hangs his head low.

"Don't remind me…Alma's mean when she's mad. An' Scarlet's worse in some situations…" Shadow says shivering at memories.

"Alma wasn't jus' mad that day Shad she was ticked beyond measures an' we jus' happened ta be the poor suckers to say the wrong thing at the wrong time." Tyran laughs patting Shadow on the shoulder.

"Hey you two!" Alma calls waving at them from the end of the hallway paint buckets around her. "Come'n we ain't got all day!" She says again.

"Sorry 'bout that Shadow didn't want to get up this morning!" Tyran calls waving back at her.

"Really? Usually Ty's the lazy bum that doesn't want to get his butt out of bed." Alma says tapping her chin as Tyran's face flushes red with embarrassment.

"That is not true!" Tyran shouts glaring at Alma.

"Actually I think it is, yer always the last one up Ty." Shadow says quickly running away before Tyran can punch him. "Haha missed me Ty!" He mocks dodging another blow as he continues to run backwards. 'Something's gonna happen but I forget what…' He thinks dodging another blow.

"Alma can get away with sayin' that but you Shadow can't!" Tyran growls throwing another punch that Shadow dodges driving him closer and closer to Alma who wasn't paying attention but was looking at a piece of paper.

"Ha! You've gotten slower T-" Shadow says but hits the edge of a paint can. 'Crud…now I remember…' He thinks tripping over the can.

"AAAAHHHHH!" Shadow and Alma cry as Shadow trips over a paint bucket and lands on top of her.

"Aw you two make such a cute couple." Tyran mocks falling to the floor laughing when Scarlet walks in. "Scarlet don't Shadow an' Alma make a cute couple?" He asks ignoring the glares from Alma and Shadow.

"Yeah they do such a cute couple." Scarlet laughs smirking as she leans on the doorframe.

"YOU GUYS ARE NOT FUNNY!" Alma and Shadow shout sending the duo death glares.

"No we're not funny we're hilarious." Tyran laughs standing up and leaning against the wall for support.

"Tyran I hope ya know I jus' painted that part." Alma bluntly says with a straight face as Tyran's pales.

"Yer lyin." Tyran growls straightening up and looking at the back of his dark blue shirt that was now a bright sky blue with white on it. "That ain't right." He says frowning as the others burst into laughter.

'I remember that Tyran wasn't able to wear that shirt for weeks because the paint didn't want to come off.' Shadow thinks laughing at Tyran who narrows his eyes at him. "What? Ya should've been payin' attention Ty." He laughs again standing up and brushing himself off.

"He's right ya know." Alma says brushing herself off and picking up the tipped over paint can. "An' Shadow yer lucky this didn't bust open." She says looking at Shadow.

"Sorry 'bout that had to dodge Ty's assault somehow." Shadow laughs, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yea but ya should of been paying attention." Alma bluntly states looking at the wall where Tyran was standing the colors smeared. "It took me an hour to paint that…" She says hanging her head low and letting out a sigh.

"I'm really sorry Alma, I could repaint it." Tyran offers in an apologetic tone.

"Nah, it's alright I'll do it later." Alma says waving her hand and smiling. "For now we gotta paint our flowers! I got all the colors!" She says gesturing towards the cans.

"I see that I guess we should get to work then." Scarlet says walking over to the can and looking at the colors. "I think I'll add a touch of winter to this hall." She says picking up two buckets a teal blue and an icy purple. "I'll call it Ice Flower!" She says grabbing a paint brush and walking over to the wall.

"I guess I'll paint one right here." Tyran says kneeling down by a clear spot. "Let's see I think I'll go with this white and green." He says taking a brush along with a creamy white and pale green with. "This'll be fine." He says looking at the colors he chose.

"It shall me called the Jade Flower!" Scarlet declares as Tyran rolls his eyes at her. "What got a better name?" She asks looking at him.

"Nah, I'll go with Jade Flower but it sounds girly." Tyran grumbles opening one of the cans and begins painting.

"Shadow aren't you gonna paint one?" Alma asks looking up at him from her spot on the floor three cans beside her one a deep red and the other two bronze and gold mixed together in a dish.

"No. I'm no good at painting ya'll can do it I'll jus' watch." He says looking away to avoid looking Alma in the eyes.

"Come'n!" She says standing up and grabbing Shadow's hand. "I'll help you!" She says gently pulling him towards the cans of paint.

"No Alma really I don't want to paint something." Shadow says trying to convince her but fails.

"It doesn't matter if yer good at it. What matters is that you have fun!" Alma says instead of letting go and kneels down by the paints. "Now pick as many colors as you want!" She instructs as Shadow sighs and kneels down beside her.

'This is too painful…why am I being forced to remember this? I want to forget what it was like!' He sadly thinks looking at the shades of colors. "I guess these three." He says picking a royal blue, black, and a dark green.

"I like it!" Alma exclaims picking the green can up examining it and grabbing a glass full of water. "Now le's find a place for where yer gonna sit!" She says tugging on Shadow's gently.

"No I know where I'm gonna paint it." Shadow says breaking away and walking towards the left corner by his door.

"Why so far?" Alma asks walking beside him. "I mean don't ya want people to be able to see your flower?" She asks again looking up to him.

"Nah, I'm not like ya'll I have no artistic abilities once so ever." Shadow answers as he reaches the corner and setting down the paints.

"Liar." Alma dryly states shaking her head at Shadow. "Ya can do awesome shading and abstracts!" She states in a matter of fact tone. "I can only draw cartoons." She sighs looking at Shadow.

"Whatever ya say Alma." Shadow calmly says looking for a brush. "I gotta go grab me a brush." He says briskly turning and quickly walks away. 'Dang it! Whoever ya are why're ya making me remember this?' He silently demands grabbing a brush and walking back.

"Well…I gotta go finish my flower later Shadow!" Alma calls walking back to her area.

"What do you mean?" The voice asks Shadow in a cool demeanor as he opens the cans and dips the brush into the dark green.

"Wait ya can hear my thoughts?" Shadow asks dropping the brush in shock.

"Yeah but don't speak to loud the others can't hear me." The voice says in a calm tone.

'Then how did Tyran hear ya earlier?' Shadow thinks picking the brush up and begins to paint the flower's stem.

"I mimicked you and I can be heard if I want them to hear me." They answer in the same tone.

"Figures I get stuck with a voice that makes me remember what I want to forget." Shadow grumbles growling softly clicking his tongue.

"I'm trying to help you Shadow but you're so stubborn I have to make you remember key moments." The voice answers a slight edge to it.

'Oh? An' how is this considered a key moment?' Shadow thinks washing off the green and dipping the brush into the black.

"It brings memories back." The voice says for an explanation as Shadow begins painting the flowers petals.

'Course it does it is a memory!' Shadow barks in his head setting the brush down and closing his eyes.

"I don't mean like that dim wit! I mean the feelings of having friends and being able to just do leisurely things not having to worry about hiding the fact you're a puppet." The voice growls bopping Shadow in the back of his head.

'WAIT YA CAN HIT ME?' Shadow thinks in shock rubbing the bump that was forming.

"Of course I can did you think I was only the air?" They ask as Shadow nods his head. "I can make physical contact with you that is what I did earlier." They say as Shadow remembers the pat on the shoulder.

'That's not creepy at all…' Shadow thinks picking the brush back up and continues painting.

"You really are stubborn aren't you Shadow?" They ask in an annoyed tone.

'No I jus' don't like the fact that I have a voice that can hit me an' no one else can hear it!' Shadow thinks finishing the last petal and washes the brush off.

"I am not a voice Shadow you should know who I am." They answer in a dry tone as Shadow dips the brush in the royal blue.

'Why don't you tell me your name then?' Shadow asks outlining the petals with the royal blue and making the center of the flower. "Done, hey guys are ya'll finished?" He asks putting the brush in the water and stands up.

"Almost!" Alma says in deep concentration painting the tips of her crimson flower a golden bronze mix.

"Yeah I'm finished!" Scarlet says adding her final touches on the center that was a teal and light purple mix.

"Alright done." Tyran triumphantly says standing up and wiping off his green stained hands. "Great…now my shirt's blue and I'm green." He grumbles staring at his hands a scowl on his face.

"Nice jus' about done…" Alma laughs adding the final touches to the petals and then sets the brush in water. "Done!" She exclaims examining her work a proud smile on her face. "How'd yers come out Shadow?" She asks looking at Shadow smiling.

"It looks terrible…" Shadow bluntly states, hiding his flower from the others.

"Nah Shadow, yer jus' being modest buddy." Tyran says walking towards the flower trying to peer over Shadow's shoulder.

"No it's not!" Shadow says blocking Tyran's view not noticing Alma come up beside him.

"Yes it is." Alma says squatting down and looking behind Shadow's leg to see the flower its petals slightly wavy. "It looks great see abstract the petals are so pretty!" She says as Shadow's face turns bright red.

'Why is it that she always manages to get past me?' Shadow thinks feeling his face burn. "I didn't mean to make 'em like that though…" He says hanging his head low.

"It's alright it looks great!" Tyran says looking at the flower and patting Shadow on the back.

"It is good don't be ashamed Shad." Scarlet says putting her paints up.

"I guess it is pretty good…" Shadow whispers kneeling down and picking up his paints. "I gotta go put these up." He says quickly ducking away and goes over to the other paints.

"Yeah yer right." Tyran says as the him and Alma go and pick up their paints and put them away. "So what's next?" He asks as Alma shrugs.

"I need to paint more flowers but I right now I'm hungry le's go eat! I'll cook!" Alma says quickly running out of the room.

"Alright we're coming." Tyran laughs shaking his head glancing back at Shadow. "Come'n Shad, yer gonna miss gettin' food." He calls over his shoulder as the room begins to fade away…

"Hmmm…I don't wanna wake up…" Shadow growls pulling the blankets over his head.

"Well you're not going to go back to sleep so might as well as get up Shadow." The voice says as Shadow throws a pillow at the area it came from. "Hey you missed me." They say laughing as Shadow gets up and glares in their direction.

"Shut up!" Shadow barks getting out of bed and wincing at the mark on his back. "Forgot about that…" He says gently touching the mark and wincing again.

"Shadow don't you have some things to do?" The voice asks as Shadow rolls his eyes.

"Yeah…stupid to do list." Shadow growls scratching his head. "Where did I put it anyways?" He questions himself looking around the room.

"Why should I know?" The voice asks when Shadow finds it on the floor.

"There it is…first off is…talking to Isis about" Shadow reads squinting his eyes trying to read the paper. "Um…I think it says about I can't read this I give up." Shadow says tossing the paper to the ground again. "I'm gonna go back ta bed." He growls walking back towards the bed.

"It says talk to Isis about…supper for the next big holiday." The voice reads as Shadow sends them a death glare.

"Be quiet!" Shadow growls pulling the covers back over his head trying to go to sleep.

"Can't besides it's time for you to get up and take care of your 'duties'." They mock tugging the covers off of Shadow.

"Why do you say it like that?" Shadow asks sitting on the edge of his bed wiping the sleep from his eyes.

"Because you act like they are your duties but they can't be because they are for the leader and you are not the leader." They calmly say ignoring Shadow's death glares.

"I am the leader." Shadow dryly says holding his head scowling.

"No you're not 'he' is the real leader since you basically gave it to him. You just didn't tell anyone." They scoff.

"Whatever I don't care I gotta go talk ta Isis. Later." Shadow calls grabbing a shirt off the top of his dresser and puts it on.

"Fine." The voice answers as Shadow walks out of the room. "If only you would remember what it was like before Shadow…" The voice says taking the shape of a young man with silver eyes and white hair. "Why is it so hard for you to remember the past? You keep it all hidden but still try to protect your friends and they don't even know it…" He says shaking his head. "If I keep making you remember will you accept it and finally stop being used?" He asks quietly looking sadly towards the door. "Wait I have an idea that could make you remember!" He says vanishing a broad smile on his face.

"Yo, Isis ya wanted to talk to me?" Shadow asks, knocking on the door frame of the computer room.

"Yes, I wanted to know what you intend to do since your birthday is coming up." Isis calmly says not looking up from her paper work.

"Uh…my birthday's that close already?" Shadow asks scratching his head trying to remember.

"Yes Shadow it is. So do you know what you want to do?" Isis asks glancing at him from her paper work.

"Nah, I'll probably jus' go out for a lil' bit nothin big." Shadow answers shrugging his shoulders and letting out a yawn. "Dang I'm still tired." He grumbles wiping the sleep out of his eyes.

"I see…alright tell me if you change your mind." Isis says grabbing another sheet of work.

"I will but don't count on it. Is that all ya wanted ta talk to me about?" Shadow asks watching Isis fill out the papers.

"Yes that's all I think Mickele wanted to talk to you about his training since Tyran is still out and won't be able to teach him." She answers as Shadow's head droops and he nods.

"Man…I'm not good at earthy or windy things." Shadow whines turning and leaving the room. "I guess I'll figure somethin out…" He grumbles trudging down the hall.

"Why not go talk to 'him' for a little bit?" The voice suddenly asks as Shadow's shoulders droop even more.

"Can't I try to avoid talking to him as much as possible, thank you very much!" Shadow growls turning the corner not noticing he was nearing the big wooden doors.

"So you're scared of him?" The voice inquires with a hint of smugness to it.

"No! I ain't scared of 'im!" Shadow quickly retorts glaring at the air. 'Why that little!' He thinks clenching his fist.

"Then why not tell him that?" The voice taunts from behind Shadow.

"Fine ya know what, if it'll get ya to shut up for a day I will!" Shadow barks opening the doors not noticing the voice take the form of the man silver eyed man behind him a smug smile on his face.

'Maybe it will, or maybe you're crossing into dangerous territory.' He thinks vanishing again once the doors close.

'Wait…why did I come in here again?' Shadow thinks standing still in the darkness trying to collect his thoughts. 'I wanted to tell 'im somethin…what was it?' He thinks holding his chin in deep thought not noticing the hand begin to emerge from the darkness.

"SHADOW YOU IDIOT WATCH OUT!" The voice shouts snapping Shadow out of his thoughts in time to dodge the hand. "Think later, react now!" They scold as Shadow nods dodging the hand again.

"Why are you here Shadow?" A different voice demands from the shadows as the hand retreats.

"I-uh…" Shadow stammers trying to remember his reason.

"You're so hopeless it's not even funny Shadow…" The voice says to Shadow.

'Shut up! Why did I come here?' Shadow thinks shaking his head. 'It was goin tell 'im somethin…but what?' He thinks again watching the darkness for the hand but didn't see it.

"Uh is not an answer Shadow now give me a proper answer." 'He' growls from the darkness.

"I was jus' comin' to tell ya that I was gonna be busy for a couple of days." Shadow quickly says turning on his heels and virtually running out the door.

"Way to go Shadow. You said you were going to tell him you weren't scared of him and yet you just run out of there." The voice mocks as Shadow retreats down the hall grumbling about something.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid, ugh why would I do somethin like that? That's a good way ta get someone hurt!" Shadow growls banging his head against a wall.

"Are you just ignoring me?" The voice asks taking the form of the silver eyed man again as Shadow continues to bang his head against the wall.

"No I'm not listening to what ya say 'cause I wouldn't ever do what I did back there." Shadow growls his eyes closed.

"What makes you so sure?" The man asks walking towards Shadow.

"I'm too worried about the others if I say I'm not scared of 'im he'll prove I should be scared by harming someone." Shadow answers back leaning his head back. "I can't let that happen." He says staring at the ceiling.

"I guess but you still have other duties to attend to like teaching Mickele how to use his powers." The man says vanishing again right before Shadow looks towards him.

"Dang it…" Shadow growls stomping off down the hallway a scowl on his face. "This is gonna suck." He growls again kicking the wall.

_**Alright so what did ya'll think? Sorry if ya'll got confused in parts of it I managed to confuse myself so, so sorry if I confused ya'll…Til next time!**_


	15. Chapter 15

_**Okay I know it took a long time but I got stuck on certain parts and then had trouble for how to end the chapter but let's hope that it was all worth it! Again where I'm stuck at didn't have internet until recently so that was a no go and then I decided to start a different story but finally decided that I needed to work on this again…um well hope ya'll like! Enjoy! Oh just in case if ya'll don't like Shadow then don't read the first part of it, it's mainly about Shadow and Mickele…**_

Chapter 15

"Alright Mickele since Ty ain't here I'm gonna be yer teacher today." Shadow calls opening, the white ivory door to an indoor training rink with all sorts of obstacles and sees Mickele swinging lazily a book in hand. "Yo Mickele come'n sooner we get finished here the sooner we get-AH!" Shadow shouts dodging a root that shot out of the ground.

"You just barely missed that one didn't you Shadow?" Mickele asks looking over his shoulder book still in hand.

"Grrr, what was that for?" Shadow growls jumping on top of a pole to get away from the ground. 'If what Tyran told me was right the other day then Mickele's strength is using Earth not wind…' He thinks watching Mickele closely.

"I'm not through yet I still got to get you back for drinking my vodka." Mickele says smiling a playful smile at Shadow.

"Yer not gonna let that go are you?" Shadow asks hanging his head low when Mickele shakes his head no. "Crud…" He growls jumping back onto the ground. "Fine how 'bout we make a wager?" He asks looking Mickele in the eyes.

"What kind of wager?" Mickele asks clearly interested as he closes the book and gets off the swing.

"The kind where if ya can get me to my knees I'll take ya out to get vodka or any liquor an' won't take it from ya when ya try to drink it." Shadow says smirking as Mickele thinks a moment.

"And what if I can't?" Mickele asks after a moment.

"Then you can't cry or whine when I take yer vodka or any liquor away for two whole months." Shadow states as Mickele growls and thinks a few moments.

"Fine but if I do get you to your knees not only do you have to take me to get my drinks but you also have to do ALL of your duties for one week without a single complaint." Mickele smugly says crossing his hands over his chest a cocky smirk plastered on his face.

"Grrrrr…." Shadow growls glaring at Mickele. 'Why that little...curse him…' Shadow silently seethes clenching his fist and taking a deep breath. "Fine." He growls walking over to Mickele and holds out his hand. "It's a deal when we shake." He bluntly states as Mickele nods and shakes his hand.

"Alright better get ready to get me all the vodka I want." Mickele laughs jumping back away from Shadow.

"You wish." Shadow states jumping onto one of the poles noticing Mickele close his eyes and begin murmuring something that he couldn't hear. 'What's he doing? That's not an attack stance is it?' Shadow thinks watching Mickele closely not noticing the root come up behind him.

"Shadow~" Mickele calls in a sing-song voice. "Look behind you~" He says again smiling a wicked smile.

"Wha-AH!" Shadow cries as the root wraps itself around his waist and jerks him to the ground. 'Crud I should of remembered that stance…Tyran always used it to sneak up on people.' He thinks slamming into the ground the root entangled around him.

"So do I win?" Mickele smugly asks, laughing as Shadow growls and sends him a death glare.

"No I said to my knees not my entire body against the ground!" Shadow barks wiggling a little bit in an effort to loosen the root's grip.

"Well that could be arranged." Mickele says waving his hand in the air with dark green glowing designs on it.

"Oh no ya don't." Shadow growls moving his arms a little trying to get air. "I refuse to loose so quickly!" He barks closing his eyes and takes a deep breath. 'I'll show you orbem umbras!' Shadow thinks as two small identical orbs form in his hands and the root breaks apart. "Ha, told ya I wouldn't be defe-AH!" Shadow shouts dodging two more roots that had shot out of the ground.

"And I told you to get ready to buy me all the vodka I want!" Mickele retorts swiftly moving his hand as the roots follow.

"Forget it!" Shadow barks destroying the two roots when four more appear in their place and he takes off running. "AHHH! IT'S A FREAKIN HYDRA…MADE OUT OF WOOD!" He shouts dodging the roots.

"HAHAHA! Shadow's running like a scaredy cat!" Mickele laughs holding his gut as he bends over laughing. "What's the matter Shadow ya too scared to remember how to destroy my earth hydra?" He snickers watching in amusement as Shadow dodges another root and sends him a death glare.

"SHUT UP!" Shadow shouts landing on one of the roots but gets flung off into the dirt. "owww…that hurt…" He whines getting and spitting dirt out. "I will have my revenge Mickele." He growls in a low threatening tone glaring at Mickele his eyes faintly glowing a dark color.

"Shadow focus where is the Hydra's weak point?" The voice suddenly says as Shadow dodges another root.

'I don't remember…something to do with the heart…I think.' Shadow thinks destroying another root that had grabbed his ankle and begun to pull him down.

"You should have been paying more attention when Tyran was telling you how to defeat it!" They shout as Shadow jumps onto the poles and dodges more roots.

'You know what since you aren't going to tell me yer name I'll jus' call ya…um Stu.' Shadow thinks growling dodging another root that had nearly grabbed his wrist. "I've always hated any hydra attacks…" He growls sliding down a root and jumping back onto the poles.

"Stu? My name is not Stu!" Stu growls lowly, watching Shadow dodge the roots over and over.

'Maybe if I can distract Mickele and make him loose his concentration this stupid session will end.' Shadow thinks ignoring Stu's protests and throws an orb at Mickele.

"AH!" Mickele shouts jumping up and narrowly missing the orb. "Aw so now you're actually attacking me?" He mocks making more roots come out of the ground and attack Shadow.

'Crud!' Shadow thinks dodging the roots and jumps back onto the poles. "Try to dodge this!" He growls throwing numerous orbs at Mickele and jumping through the roots.

"Easy!" Mickele shouts making an earth wall to block Shadow's assault. "You have to try-OW!" He shouts as an orb smashes into his mid-section and he goes flying. "That hurt…crap that hurt a lot damn it." He groans holding his gut as the roots enclose him in a shield.

"MICKELE THAT'S CHEATING!" Shadow shouts as the other roots sink back into the ground. "Get yer butt out of there!" He growls kicking the roots a scowl on his face.

"Go away that hurt! Damn it Shadow don't you know how painful those stinking shadow orbs of yours are?" Mickele demands from inside the barrier.

"No, I've never been hit with my own attack Mickele." Shadow bluntly states not noticing the root come up behind him. "Now get yer sticking butt out from behind those dang roots!" He continues banging on barrier again.

"NO!" Mickele shouts glaring at Shadow through the cracks in the roots. 'That's it just a little bit closer and you're going to have to get me all the drinks I want!' Mickele thinks silently laughing as the root inches closer to Shadow.

"AH! OW LET GO OF ME!" Shadow shouts hanging upside down by the root. "LE' GO OF ME!" He shouts again when the root drops him on the ground and whacks the back of his head making him fall to his knees. "Crud…" He growls rubbing his head when Mickele's barrier goes down.

"I win you're down on your knees." Mickele laughs standing up and brushes the dirt off of his clothes. "So when we going to get the vodka?" He asks holding his hand out to Shadow.

"B-b-tha-ugh!" Shadow growls pouting batting Mickele's hand away and glares at the ground. "I'm not going to argue with you since you did get me to my knees." He finally says after taking a few breathes and muttering not to kind words about Mickele under his breathe.

"ALRIGHT!" Mickele cheers, jumping up and down a broad smile on his face. "Shadow's going to get me vodka, vodka, vodka Shadow's going to get me some vodka!" He sings laughing like a lunatic.

"Shut up Mickele!" Shadow scowls standing up and brushing the dirt off. "An' quite acting like a two year old I'll go get ya some vodka later on in the week." He says stretching and pops his spine as he turns to leave the arena.

"What? NO, I want to go now!" Mickele whines putting on a pouting face as he quickly follows Shadow.

"Oh I would but since SOMEBODY" He growls glaring at Mickele, "Had to say that if I lost than I have to do ALL my work for one week without a single complaint I'm too busy to go right now." He scoffs as Mickele nearly falls to the ground in shock. "Sorry buddy." He laughs closing the door and walks back down the hall.

"Damn it the one time I actually get Shadow to do anything and it backfires. Wonder if he'd do it if Alma or Scarlet asked him…probably Alma he has a crush on her." Mickele sighs falling to the ground looking through the massive glass dome over the arena before getting up and walks to the tree he was at earlier. "He probably wouldn't be so stubborn or lazy then." He laughs leaning against the tree's trunk and closes his eyes.

… … …

"Wait, wait, could you repeat that I didn't quite catch that what do you plan on doing?" Alma asks looking at Tyran with a skeptical expression her eyebrows knitted together in concern.

"Like I said Alma I can't support all of our weights and still make it to Rome without falling I have to have something solid that we can sit on so the air only has to focus on one thing rather than several things." Tyran explains again for what felt like to him the billionth time. "I know you know what I'm saying Alma quite acting so ignorant." He dryly states pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I'm not but what you're saying is that if there is jus' one focus area then it makes it easier to fly when the weight is heavier?" Alma asks tilting her head in confusion.

"Yeah but-" Tyran tries to say but Scarlet butts in.

"How does that happen?" She asks in confusion.

"Oh come'n ya'll aren't cute acting like idiots!" Tyran growls in an annoyed tone.

"We ain't trying to be cute!" Alma fires back glaring at Tyran. "If we were we would be!" She continues scoffing.

"Then why are ya'll acting like idiots?" Tyran demands his hands to his side and his eyebrow twitching slightly.

"Because we want you to explain it in lay man terms." Scarlet bluntly says in calm tone completely ignoring Tyran's rage.

"Okay how about this you have a piece of paper and you're holding in mid-air, you can hold that better than if you had multiple pieces of paper and tried to hold it in mid-air it'd be hard to focus on one area to hold ALL of them up and some might fall." Tyran dryly says his eyebrow twitching along with one of the veins on his forehead.

"I guess that makes sense…" Scarlet says looking off to the side. "Not really." She tacks on under her breath noticing Tyran let out a heavy sigh.

"I don't understand you two an' I've known ya'll for most of my life." Tyran sighs shaking his head as ducks to avoid a branch that smacks Leon in the face.

"Ow, why do I get hit?" Leon growls to himself watching the back of Tyran's head carefully. "If he tries anything what do we do?" He asks Abel and Tres in low whisper.

"I don't we can do anything short of Tres hitting him with Genocide Mode and he still may not go down." Abel whispers quietly.

"Negative Father Nightroad your Crusnik powers could stall him if not defeat him." Tres bluntly states in a low tone so the three ahead don't hear.

"True but I don't think I'd want to fight one of their friends…" Abel answers in an even softer tone.

"So Tyrant-" Scarlet begins when Tyran sends her a death glare and explodes.

"I'M NOT A TYRANT!" Tyran shouts before Scarlet can even finish her sentence. "Quite calling me a tyrant!" He growls glaring at Scarlet.

"Why? It suits you so well Tyran." Scarlet taunts laughing at Tyran's red face.

"You know what!" Tyran barks fists at his sides. "You can call me whatever you want I'm tired of you mocking me." He growls closing his eyes and huffing.

"Aw you took all the fun away." Scarlet whines crossing her arms and putting on a pouting face.

"Whatever let's hurry up and find that clearing ya'll found." Tyran dryly states putting his hands behind his head as he walks beside Alma ignoring Scarlet's protest.

"Fine be that way jerk, the clearings right over that hill." Scarlet scoffs pointing to a hill. "Hey what do you plan on using to support all of us?" She asks looking at Tyran who stops in mid-step. 'I knew it he didn't think his plan fully through.' She thinks smirking silently laughing.

"Uh…well I was hoping maybe you could use your ice…" Tyran says after a moment of thought. "I mean it's reasonable isn't it?" He quickly asks glancing back at Scarlet.

"No it doesn't ice melts Tyran." Scarlet bluntly states shaking her head in disappointment.

"So! It's not like I can jus' make a massive chunk of earth carry us its heavier than ice!" Tyran barks defensively butting heads with Scarlet as anger sparks fill the air between the two.

"You two quite, I think we should jus' use your ice Scarlet it is lighter than rock and its colder the higher we go up so I don't think it'll melt that quickly." Alma speaks standing between the two as she scowls.

"Fine I guess I'll do it since you two asked so nicely." Scarlet sarcastically says rolling her eyes at the two.

"Ah here we are!" Alma cheerfully says as the group reaches the clearing. "So Scarlet you can create a little ice sled while Tyran prepares to send us flying!" She cheers again wincing when she throws her hands up into the air.

"Careful Alma you're still injured." Tyran says taking a step toward Alma. "You shouldn't even be moving with all of your injuries." He scolds her rolling his eyes when she shakes her head.

"Nah I'm not in any danger less you decide to fight me again." Alma replies smiling brightly laughing when Tyran's face flushes red.

"You're not gonna let that go are you?" He asks hanging his head low.

"Nope she's not now come'n I got the stupid sled ready." Scarlet says pointing to the shining ice slab big enough to hold at least ten people.

"Alright everyone hop on!" Alma happily says glancing back at the others and gestures to the slab.

"Are you sure this is safe whoa!" Abel yelps slipping on the ice and falling on his face. "Ow…" He groans laying on the ice.

"Damage report Father Nightroad?" Tres asks in his usual monotone voice as the three Guardians start laughing as Abel wobbles up careful to watch his footing.

"I'm fine Tres but this ice is SLIPPERY!" Abel cries again falling back to the ice.

"Yer a bit of a klutz ain't ya?" Tyran laughs shaking his head. "Here le' me help ya." He says taking Abel's hand and pulls him up without any effort.

"Uh…thank you." Abel says as Tyran picks up some loose dirt with the wind and tosses it on the ice. "May I ask what you are doing?" He asks watching Tyran carefully.

"Yeah I'm jus' adding traction an' don't worry it won't turn to mud it'll give something for ya'lls shoes to grip." Tyran says dropping the last bit onto the slab and walking on it. "Think that'll work." He muses to himself.

"Well, all aboard!" Alma says as she sits cross legged on the ice shivering slightly. "I ain't built for the cold…" She growls hugging herself.

"Oh come on it's not that cold!" Scarlet growls sitting beside Alma in the same fashion as the others follow suit but Tyran stays on the grass.

"Aren't you getting on?" Abel asks looking at Tyran who shakes his head as an answer. "Why not?" He asks again.

"I will once ya'll get going but I have to help support it for the first half at least until we get to the jet stream." Tyran explains moving his hands as the wind gets underneath the ice it starts to hover above the ground.

"You better not drop us." Scarlet jokingly says glaring at Tyran as they float higher and higher into the air.

"Don't worry I won't have a lil' faith Scarlet." He remarks smirking waving as they watch him get smaller and smaller. 'At least I won't intentionally drop them…' He thinks as he begins to float up as well.

"Yo Ty what took ya?" Alma asks waving to him as he flies beside the ice.

"I had to wait for ya'll to get high enough." He bluntly says as the wind grows stronger. "We're almost there so hold on." He orders closing his eyes a moment and reopening them to reveal bright green glowing orbs.

"Got it!" Alma says holding onto the edges of her hat. "Ya know it's been a looong time since I've been flying!" She adds as a random note clutching her backpacks string.

"Yeah, no kidding and even longer since Tyran was the pilot." Scarlet agrees nodding her head.

"Yo Ty are you gonna get on here with us soon?" Alma shouts over the intensifying wind gripping her hat harder.

"Oh my, we are very high up…I've never flown like this before…" Abel nervously says glancing down towards the ground that was going in and out of focus.

"Well I wouldn't expect ya'll priest to fly like this." Tyran bluntly states as he floats up to Abel's face a smirk gracing his face. "It's not the most popular way if ya know what I mean, what with people leaning or getting too close to the edge and what not." He teases smiling brightly as Abel scoots further from the edge. "Haha yer funny I think we'll get along fine." He calls flying further up as they enter the jet stream.

"What is he doing?" Abel asks watching Tyran suddenly shoot down the air stream.

"He's caught by the currents." Alma bluntly says stifling laughter when Tyran zooms back up and lands on the ice. "Nice hairdo Ty!" She teases pointing towards Tyran's hair that was no longer curly but completely blown back.

"Haha not funny." Tyran dryly says trying to pat his hair down. "Stupid currents forgot how strong they were…" He grunts groaning when his hair doesn't go back to its normal state.

"How could you forget?" Scarlet asks in a baffled tone. "The last time you flew in a jet stream with Alitura you went flying around the globe and couldn't get out because of the darn things." She laughs as Tyran flushes red.

"Oh I remember that Alitura had to fish 'im out with a root and he was dizzy for hours! He kept walking around like a drunk, tripping over himself and the air." She laughs as Tyran's face gets redder and he sits beside Leon and Abel.

"Jerks! I was still a little kid!" He barks sticking his tongue out at the two.

"Oh yeah totally a thirteen year old looking kid is little dude you were a teenager!" Scarlet argues giving Tyran a crazy look.

"Was not I looked like I was ten not a teen." Tyran bluntly states as the ice begins to wobble. "Uh oh…Hold on to the edges we're nearing turbulence!" He orders as the ice wobbles more violently. As soon as everyone besides Tyran had grabbed onto the edges the ice flipped entirely and sent Tyran flying. "WHOA HEY WHATEVER YA'LL DO DON'T LET GO JUS' CLIMB BACK OVER!" He shouts being dragged away by the currents.

"GOT IT!" Alma shouts holding onto the edge for dear life her legs dangling beneath her. "Now I remember why I don't like flying like this…" She groans when the ice begins to wobble again and she climbs back to the top.

"Alma be careful, where's Tyrant?" Scarlet asks as the others clamber up and huddle near the center of the ice.

"Don't know last I saw 'im he was bein' dragged by the currents." Alma explains when they hear a holler come from behind and Tyran slams into Abel sending the two of them over board.

"AHHHHH!" Abel cries as he and Tyran get dragged by the air currents.

"Jeez quite yelling in my ear!" Tyran hisses to Abel struggling to fly against the currents. "Dang it…I'm gonna try to get you back to the others." He calmly grabbing the collar of Abel's jacket and twisting around rapidly then throws Abel.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Abel shouts flying towards the others. "HELP ME!" He cries nearly passing the group when Tres and the others grab him. "Thank you…" He meekly says as the others drag him back onto the slab.

"Where's Tyran?" Alma asks when Tyran slams into the slab. "Oh found 'im are you okay?" She asks pulling a dazed Tyran up.

"Look it the shiny stars dancing everywhere…" Tyran rambles pointing at nothing above him. "Alma? When did there become three of ya?" He asks when he sees three blurry Alma's coming in and out of focus.

"Dude…I don't think yer all here at the moment…" Alma says a worried expression on her face. "How many fingers am I holding up?" She asks holding up three fingers.

"Um…six, no nine…um…hang on." Tyran says reaching forward and fumbling for Alma's hand. "One, two, three, yer holding three up!" He triumphantly says as he counts Alma's fingers.

"He's really out of it." Scarlet bluntly states scooting over to them as she shakes her head.

"Am not-ooh look at the scenery we're so high." Tyran chimes happily looking down at the trees his vision still a bit fuzzy and his mind slightly cloudy.

"Yeah we know now quite acting like a dim-wit!" Scarlet, barks scowling when Tyran lies down on the ice, his legs hanging off the edge the wind slowing around them.

"I'm not." Tyran dryly states closing his eyes a moment to shake off his daze. "We're almost there so it shouldn't be much longer." He continues lazily swinging his legs.

"Well that's good!" Alma cheers looking down and noticing the trees fading as they began to be replaced with small buildings. "Ha I can see the church form here it's way over there!" She chimes pointing to the church's point.

"Grand, now I get to meet the rest of yer friends." Tyran sarcastically grunts rolling onto his side.

"You don't sound too happy?" Scarlet questions him poking his side.

"I ain't I don't remember anything an' now I'm gonna be interrogated by whoever runs the place." Tyran grudgingly says watching the church get closer. "Better prepare yourselves we're jumping at that building." He says pointing to a flat top building that was approaching.

"What? Jumping since when?" Leon demands as the ice began to lower and exit the jet stream.

"That's what I planned from the beginning didn't I tell ya'll?" Tyran dully asks watching the building come closer and closer. 'This area seems familiar…but why?' He thinks looking at all the buildings but one in particular that was further away and looked abandoned.

"NO!" Abel and Leon shout in unison not noticing the house right behind them.

"WHO CARES GO!" Scarlet barks grabbing Tres' hand as she jumps down pulling him with her, making an ice sled for her and the others.

"AWAY WE GO!" Alma laughs taking Abel's hand and jumping down behind her. "This is fun isn't it Abel?" She laughs surfing in the air with the ice.

"NO!" Abel cries closing his eyes as they sail through the air ignoring Alma's joyful laughs.

"Grrr…I get stuck with the dude that hates me…" Tyran growls as he and Leon have a stare down. "So ya gonna go or do I have ta push ya?" He asks in a bored tone watching as the others land.

"I don't hate you I just don't trust you there is a difference." Leon defends himself glaring at Tyran who merely shrugs him off.

"Not that big of one if you ask me." Tyran mumbles under his breath. "Off we go." He says pushing Leon off and jumping right behind him.

"AH! YOU IDIOT!"Leon shouts cursing at Tyran who catches him by his coat's collar and begins to float down.

"Ay no callin' people names dude, I can fly unlike the other two so don't worry an' besides I ain't gonna let ya fall, it'd be bad for the tensions between us." Tyran jokingly says softly floating down to the others.

"You are a real smart-oof." Leon grunts when Tyran drops him on the roof and he falls on his face.

"Sorry 'bout that Leo." Tyran sheepishly says as he gracefully lands on the roof next to the others smiling a playful smile ignoring Leon's protest about the nickname. "Well should we be off?" He asks turning towards Alma and Scarlet his back towards Leon.

"Yeah come'n ya gotta meet Catarina!" Alma says as she starts sprinting towards the Vatican's church.

"She's definitely going to need to rest after all this." Scarlet sighs as she shakes her head and takes off after Alma.

"No kidding I am too, I'm beat from having to keep that ice up and then bein' swept half way round the world ain't too fun." Tyran grumbles following the others to the church.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" Leon demands glaring back at Tyran who merely shrugs.

"I did a lot more than ya'll know." Tyran answers in a calm manner running alongside Abel.

"I'm sure you did Tyran but don't start fighting with Leon." Abel scolds glancing at Tyran.

"Wha, I ain't startin' nothing he's the one pickin' fights with me!" Tyran argues pointing at Leon.

"That may be so but it would be good if you didn't antagonize him." Abel sighs as Tyran grumbles under his breath but nods.

"Fine…but only since you asked so nicely." Tyran sarcastically says staring at the cross that loomed over him. "That thing is massive…" He breathes staring up at the cross.

"Never really thought about it but it is pretty big huh?" Alma asks appearing beside Tyran smiling softly. "Come'n you haven't met Catarina yet, after ya meet her you can go snooping around all ya want!" She says tugging Tyran as they land on the ground and start to walk toward the gates.

"I don't snoop I browse and get familiar with the area." Tyran scowls crossing his arms.

"An' go through all the rooms and even pick lock the locked ones to see if they're hiding anything. Ty jus' admit yer a snooper there's no way around it." Alma playfully says poking Tyran's face which was growing redder and redder with every passing second.

"I ain't a snooper!" Tyran argues as they reach the gates. "So do we jus' walk in or what?" He asks looking for the guards but sees no one. "I guess we jus' walk in." He deduces poking his head through the arch way and looks around.

"HALT! WHAT BUISNESS DO YOU HAVE HERE?" A guard demands, as they round the corner scaring Tyran who jumps and falls backwards crashing into Leon.

"AH! WHAT THE HECK DIDN'T YER MOM EVER TEACH YA'LL TO NOT SNEAK UP ON PEOPLE?" Tyran shouts to the guard his hand over his chest. "SCARE ME HALF TO DEATH WHY DON'T YA!" He shouts taking deep breathes.

"It's okay he's with us, he's not really dangerous." Abel says walking up the guards and shows them his ID card. After they look at it and verify that it is legitimate they let the group pass with Tyran still glaring at them.

"I don't like them." Tyran grumbles glaring at the guard over his shoulder.

"Yer a scaredy cat." Scarlet bluntly mocks walking behind the group with Tyran and Alma.

"Am not…" Tyran mumbles darkly under his breath.

"Are too!" Scarlet quickly argues back her head held high.

"Not!" Tyran growls at a louder tone glaring at Scarlet.

"Too." Scarlet calmly says ignoring Tyran's death glares.

"NOT!" Tyran shouts startling everyone besides the two beside him.

"TOO!" Scarlet fires back at an equal volume as Tyran earning her odd looks from a few nuns passing by.

"I AM NOT A SCAREDY CAT!" Tyran shouts again looking like he was about to strangle Scarlet who merely shrugged off all his death glares.

"You're totally a scaredy cat." Scarlet calmly says lazily glancing at the archways ignoring Tyran's glares.

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!" Alma finally shouts as the two become quiet again. "I swear ya'll argue more than an old married couple." She sighs in defeat.

"Fine but she started it." Tyran growls as they turn and he looks at the pillars. 'This place sure does have a lot of open space.' He thinks noticing the garden and water fountain in the center. 'Yep definitely a lot of open space not as much as back home though.' He thinks smiling softly.

"Alright now listen you three we are almost to the Cardinal's office and I don't want to hear any bickering be on your best behaviors got it?" Leon asks as the reach a pair of wooden oak doors.

"Since when do we bicker?" Tyran jokingly asks smiling a bright smile when Leon gives him a stern look. "What?" He asks in a mock innocent voice.

"Shut up Ty you know what he means." Alma scolds giving him a stern look. "Don't worry we'll behave!" She says to Leon who shakes his head but knocks on the door.

"Come in." Catarina says from behind the door. "What is it-who's that?" She asks as they enter and she spots Tyran.

"Me? Oh I'm a…jus…a well…I'm sort a…kind a…"Tyran fumbles over his words trying to hide from Catarina's piercing stare.

"His name is Tyran he is an ally of Alma and Scarlet though he was previously controlled by Shadow to aid him. We encountered him at Mirrors Brook when he ran into the forest with Alma and Scarlet chasing after him he has shown the ability to control the wind and earth." Tres explains in his calm monotone voice.

"Yeah what he said." Tyran agrees patting Tres on the back.

"An ally?" Catarina asks her gaze on Alma and Scarlet.

"Yeah you see Ty's kind of been like our big brother since we were little he's a real good friend…" Alma explains in a nervous tone as she scratches the back of her head.

"He was also the one that held Fathers Nightroad, Asturias and myself captive at the compound." Tres continues as Tyran flushes red and falls to the ground his foot twitching in the air.

"Yeah but it wasn't my fault!" Tyran whines quickly recovering but his face still red. "An' you should know this!" He barks pointing at Tres with an accusing finger.

"What do you mean?" Catarina asks her eyebrow twitching slightly.

"I mean he heard what they said! I can't even remember holding anyone besides Mickele captive an' that was because he stole and hid ALL my drinks!" Tyran continues barking as he runs his hands through his hair.

"Positive but she wanted to know who you are so I merely told her all available data." Tres deadpans as Tyran falls over again in shock.

"Enough I do not care about that but I would like to talk to Tyran alone." Catarina orders closing her eyes and lets out a heavy sigh as the priests leave.

"Whatwhyme? Ididn' thelastfewhours!" Tyran quickly says jumbling all his words together.

"Ty calm down she doesn't bite." Alma says standing in front of Tyran who is still rambling on with his words mixed up. "Ty, TY, TYRAN SHUT UP!" Alma finally shouts after a few minutes of failed attempts to calm the man down.

"What?" Tyran squeaks out in surprise. "…uh…sorry I kind a jumble my words together when I'm nervous…" He says laughing softly from his position on the floor as he rubs the back of his head a sheepish smile on his face.

"I noticed don't worry I just want to ask you a few questions then you can go back to your friends and do whatever you like as long as it doesn't involve any of my workers are in danger." Catarina sighs as Tyran looks wearily towards Alma and Scarlet.

"Don't worry we'll be right outside the door waitin' on you." Alma says as she and Scarlet exit the room. "Later Ty!" She waves as she closes the door.

"Yeah…I guess there's not a chance I could make a run for it?" Tyran asks in a nervous joking tone as he sits down in one of the chairs in front of Catarina's desk. "So what questions do ya wanna ask me?" He asks in a cool collected tone looking Catarina in the eyes, her dark black eyes locked with his cool jade ones.

_**End!**_

_**Okay so now ya'll know that when Tyran gets nervous he tends to jumble all his words together if you couldn't understand what he said because of no spaces he said "What why me? I didn't do I swear honest I have an alibi for the last few hours!" So yeah hope that was helpful! If ya'll have any questions about the story or want to improve it I'm open to any and all suggestions but be gentle I'm still learning. Okay…ya'll are probably bored of me talking so ta-ta! Until next time when Catarina 'talks' to Tyran!**_


	16. Chapter 16

_**Hello people this time I would like to introduce a new thing –**_

_**Tyran: WHAT THE HECK? WHY AM I SENT FLYING AN' WORSE ABEL'S CLINGING TO ME LIKE A LEECH! WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO ME?**_

_**Author: Well it seemed funny at the time…**_

_**Alma: Back off at least yer not portrayed as an injured chick that completely ignores what others say!**_

_**Author: Hey you're not in any danger!**_

_**Scarlet: Yeah but why does she *points toward Alma* always end our arguments?**_

_**Author: She's more mature.**_

_**Alma: HA!**_

_**Author: At times.**_

_**Alma: WHAT?**_

_**Scarlet/Tyran: HAHA!**_

_**Shadow: AT LEAST YA'LL AIN'T EVIL! Why am I evil anyways I ain't that bad!**_

_**Author: Well if you think-**_

_**Mickele: WHY DID HE STEAL MY VODKA *glaring knives and daggers at Shadow* WHY DO I EVEN LIKE THAT ANYWAYS I LOOK LIKE A DAMNED FORTEEN YEAR OLD!**_

_**Tyran: I'm yer mentor an' I like vodka…I guess it rubbed off onto you kiddo.*ruffling Mickele's hair***_

_**Mickele:*glaring at Tyran* I'll kill you…**_

_**Shadow: HEY YA'LL INTERUPTED HER SHUT YER YAPS!**_

_**Everyone:*grumbles* Fine…*glares at Shadow***_

_**Author: Heh-heh…well if you think about it you're not really bad you're just trying to help everyone.**_

_**Shadow: HAHA I KNEW IT!*does little happy dance***_

_**Night: AT LEAST NONE OF YOU GUYS GET NAMED SOMETHING STUPID LIKE STU!**_

_**Shadow: What you don't like it?**_

_**Night: MY NAME IS NIGHT!*butting heads with Shadow***_

_**Author: Oh dear…well I hope you enjoyed this lil segment of Before the Storm!**_

_**All the dudes: WHAT KIND OF A NAME IS THAT?**_

_**Author: I came up with it so shut it or I'll make all of ya'll obsolete!**_

_**Shadow: You wouldn't do-**_

_**Alma: Chao! Until the next segment of Before the Storm!**_

_**Eva/Ace: WHEN DO WE COME BACK IN?**_

_**Ace: SHE'S DRIVING ME INSANE! SHE'S SO HAPPY IT'S CREEPING ME OUT!**_

_**Author: END!**_

"I just wanted to ask you why you were on Shadow's side if you are one of their friends." Catarina asks in a solemn tone that caught Tyran off guard.

"I couldn't answer that even if I wanted to." Tyran answers in a calm tone as he leaned back in the chair. "I say that because I don't know the answer myself…Alma probably knows more than me an' that's only her guesses." He explains looking at Catarina from the corner of his eye.

"Why wouldn't you know?" Catarina questions him her gaze narrowing in frustration.

"I wasn't…how to best describe this…" Tyran mumbles under his breath thinking. "I wasn't myself so to speak." He finally says after a few minutes of silence. "I was a…puppet I guess would be the best thing to describe it." He finishes gazing out the window.

"What do you mean by a puppet?" Catarina asks raising one of her eyebrows.

"Jus' that I couldn't move, talk, or even think on my own an' when I did I…let's jus' say I regretted it." He says in a soft tone avoiding eye contact with Catarina his jade eyes filled with hurt. "I can't even remember what all happened…the parts I do remember are fuzzy an' they're the moments when I was free even if only a second." He continues closing his eyes.

"I see…I suppose you don't want to talk about it since it's still fairly new so I won't ask." Catarina concludes looking at Tyran with sympathetic eyes.

"Yeah that'd be a good idea…so what do ya think of Alma and Scarlet?" Tyran asks opening his eyes and looking at Catarina who is momentarily shocked.

"I'm not sure they don't seem bad but I haven't known them for very long." Catarina says sighing as she remembers the first day. "The first day they were Alma had been shot and was running from the doctor…she ran into me and that's how I met her." She continues giving Tyran an odd look when he starts to laugh.

"Really? She was running from a doctor and ran into you? Sadly that sounds like something she'd do." Tyran laughs shaking his head. "Has she cooked yet?" He asks after a few moments of laughter.

"Yes…she cooked hamburgers and a chicken salad." Catarina says shaking her head as Tyran breaks into another fit of laughter.

"She got attacked by pots and pans huh?" He playfully smirks and laughs even harder when Catarina nods. "Always if Alma's in the kitchen she's gonna be attacked. Is there anything else you wanted to ask me Cardinal?" He asks as he straightens up in the chair recovering from his fits of laughter.

"Yes I wanted to know if you could tell me more about Shadow." She says lowering her head onto her hands.

"Eh? Alma and Scarlet didn't tell ya'll already?" Tyran asks slightly shocked when she asked the question.

"No they've told us of him but I wanted to know if you could maybe tell us a little more." She clarifies but sighs when Tyran shakes his head.

"Nah not much else if they already told ya, is that all?" He asks and gets up when she nods. "Oi don't worry once they trust ya they'll tell ya more about our past till then trust us. Later!" Tyran waves as he opens the door and leaves the office. 'Dang I'm beat I'm gonna ask the girls if they know where my room is…' Tyran thinks walking down the corridor but turns back. 'On second thought I think I'll jus' ask Catarina.' He thinks walking back and knocks on the door.

"Yes?" Catarina asks from inside her office.

"Um I was wondering if I was staying here or what…" Tyran asks poking his head through the doorway.

"Since we did not know that you were coming we don't have a room ready yet wait a few hours and I will send Tres to show you to your room." She replies as he nods and leaves.

"Thanks!" He calls closing the door again and begins back down the hall. 'Crud…I'm so tired though…' He thinks sulking as he trudges down the hall.

"Tyran! Sorry we weren't there waiting for ya, 'cept we had to remember where our rooms were!" Alma calls running down the hall stopping when she notices his sad expression. "What's wrong?" She asks as Scarlet rounds the corner.

"I don't have a room yet…an' I'm dead beat…" Tyran whines loudly leaning his head on Alma's shoulder.

"Poor, poor Tyran." Alma says in comforting tone patting him on the back.

"Looks like he needs to meet that Eva chick we ran into." Scarlet teases as she playfully pokes Tyran's face. "She's so optimistic it's creepy." She continues laughing quietly.

"Speaking of Eva didn't she go to stay with Ace?" Alma asks as she continues to pat Tyran's back and swat Scarlet's hands away.

"Yeah she's funny…wonder how they're doing?" Tyran asks as he straightens up and stretches.

"Don't know…I hope they're doing okay though." Alma says tapping her chin in deep thought.

"They probably are anyways come'n let's go find something to entertain us while I wait for my room." Tyran says as he starts walking back down the hall.

"Yeah I'm sure yer right…come'n Scarlet!" Alma calls quickly walking ahead of Tyran.

… … …

"Ooh, where'd you get this one at?" Eva asks holding one of Ace's knives as she sat on the couch its dark menacing blade shining in the light.

"AH DON'T TOUCH THAT!" Ace shouts quickly taking the blade form Eva and setting it back onto its stand. "I got that from an old town up north, a vampire was terrorizing the town and I was paid to end him, I did and so after I got paid the townspeople gave me that blade for gratitude." She explains wiping the blade with a cleaning cloth making it shine even more.

"Awesome! Where'd you get this one then?" Eva asks again holding a long thin pure white blade with winter trees etched into its blade. "It's so pretty!" She exclaims as she sets it down and looks at it sheath that was embroidered with a golden dragon.

"NO THAT KATANA COST ME A FORTUNE!" Ace cries as she takes the blade and sheath in one quick fluid movement. "It is not a toy!" She growls quickly sheathing the priceless blade and setting it back on its lone stand.

"Do you have any gems?" Eva asks browsing through the blades and picks up a large machete that had a leather hold and was made out of a solid black metal. "Ooo it's like a mirror I can even see myself!" She cheers looking at her reflection in the blade.

"AHHHH! EVA QUITE TOUCHING MY BLADES IT TOOK ME YEARS TO COLLECT ALL OF THESE AND I DON'T WANT THEM BROKEN BY ACCIDENT!" Ace exclaims gently but quickly taking the blade away from Eva and sets it back on the wall. "And to answer your question I do in fact gems they're in the other room, you can go look at them if you want to but don't break anything." She warns in a stern tone as Eva jumps up and runs into the other room squealing with joy.

"YAY!" Eva squeals narrowly dodging the wall that was covered in blades. "I get to see all the gems you collected!" She cheers sliding on one of the carpets and nearly falling on her face as she enters the room Ace was talking about.

"Dear lord, please don't let her break anything!" Ace begs her hands held to the sky.

"Oh wow this is moon stone they're so beautiful you should see them under a full moon they shine like the moon itself!" Eva exclaims picking up the pale blue stone that seemed to shine on its own.

"I haven't ever tried that but I'll take your word for it." Ace says watching from the doorway. "Just how much do you know about gems anyway Eva?" She asks as Eva picks up a pale pink gem and smiles.

"I know everything there is to know! I loved gems as a little girl so I set out to learn about every gem there was and I even know about their mythical abilities." Eva explains gently setting the gem down and picking up another brown gem that had a golden streak from wherever the light hit.

"That's a cat's eye right?" Ace asks but frowns when Eva shakes her head. "What is it?" She asks in a bored tone.

"It's a Tiger's Eye you were close but still they're that if you set it out on the night of the full moon and ask the moon goddess to bless it then it'll help you save money and earn more. I don't know if it's true 'cause I've never tired it but still it's pretty neat to think about something like that." Eva answers holding the gem up to the light making it shine even more.

"Yeah you like gems a lot more than swords don't you?" Ace asks as she sits down in an old wooden chair.

"Yeah how'd you know?" Eva asks looking at another gem this one was a deep red and was no bigger than a medium pebble.

"You're way more careful with those gems than my blades that took me forever to collect." Ace answers in a dry tone as she narrows her eyes at Eva.

"Sorry but I think all blades are alike besides I don't even like to fight I'm a lover not a fighter!" Eva happily calls setting the gem down and picking up a bright blue one that was shaped like a small egg. "Aquarius a beautiful gem indeed, hey Ace how did you manage to collect all these gems?" She asks looking at Ace who in turn scoffs.

"You're more like a talker rather than a fighter all I hear from you is talk, talk, talk and joyful things." Ace grunts resting her head on her hands. "If you must know I got them from people I've helped whenever I'm out bounty hunting." She continues resting her eyes and letting out a heavy sigh.

"Wait you help people?" Eva asks in a mock surprised tone with a shocked expression on her face. "I'm just kidding with you." She playfully says laughing and completely ignores the death threats from Ace.

"Yes, I help people I told you earlier I have moral code-What do you think you're doing?" Ace asks when Eva jumps up and gets real close to her face. 'Apparently this chick has no concept of personal space…' She thinks as Eva just stares at her their noses nearly touching.

"I'm starving do ya have any food?" Eva suddenly asks after a few moments of awkward silence.

"Yeah…it's in the kitchen…" Ace answers uneasily leaning far away from Eva who was staring intently at her.

"YAY! I GET FOOD!" Eva cheers running out of the room nearly tripping over Ace but successfully knocks her and the chair to the floor. "What do you have to drink anything besides water?" She questions from down the hall.

"Okay note to self, Eva is nuts." Ace grumbles ignoring the question as she stands up and brushes her clothes off and picks up the chair.

"HEY DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO DRINK BESIDES WATER?" Eva asks again this time louder as she rummages through the cabinets searching for food.

"YES! I HAVE SOME SODA IN THE FRIDGE!" Ace calls from the room as she puts up the gems Eva got out and begins walking toward the kitchen.

"THANKS!" Eva calls happily opening the fridge and grabbing the soda along with a cup from the cabinet.

"Don't you dare drink it all!" Ace barks walking into the kitchen and taking the soda from Eva who was about to poor into her cup. "I don't go shopping very often and I don't want to go just to buy more soda." She dryly says taking Eva's cup and fills it three fourths of the way then gets her own cup and does the same.

"Really?" Eva asks in bewilderment sipping the soda a few times. "I thought with all the stuff ya got you'd be one of those girls that loves to go shopping?" She asks again as she begins rummaging through the cabinets again in search of food.

"I like to go shopping but I don't do it often, it helps me keep a low profile." Ace explains taking some wrapped bread out of its little wooden bread box.

"I see so what made you want to become a bounty hunter anyways you don't strike me as the type." Eva says taking the meat out of the fridge and sets it on the table.

"Funny you didn't strike me as the explorer time more like the public relations person maybe." Ace scoffs putting a few slices of meat on her bread and eating in while Eva laughs. "What did I say something funny?" She asks slightly irritated.

"Yes I don't deal with people too well but thanks for thinking I could do that it's really awesome!" Eva laughs eating a few pieces of bread and meat. "So answer my question why did you become a bounty hunter?" She asks again taking another sip of her soda.

"I don't know most of the people I hunt are vampires that are wanted for crimes so I never really thought of it besides the fact that it pays good and I get to travel." Ace says in deep thought gently twirling her half full glass. "Maybe because I like blades or it's just in my blood my mom was a vampire hunter and my dad was just a bounty hunter he hunted whoever whenever both ended up dying pretty young." She continues letting out a soft sigh.

"Oh I'm sorry…my parents were what would be a good word to describe it…" Eva ponders aloud tapping her chin thoughtfully. "I suppose they were eccentric control freaks I wanted to get away from it all so to speak so I left and became an explorer." She continues sipping her soda again noticing it was nearly empty. "Could I have some more, please?" She asks holding the now empty cup in front of her and making her crystal blue hold a pitiful puppy.

"No. I told you I don't want to go to the store just for some soda." Ace deadpans finishing off her glass and puts the food away. "Now come on it's getting late and we have to wake up early in the morning." She says washing her cup out and puts it back in its place.

"Why, what happens tomorrow?" Eva asks rinsing her cup out and filling with water then gulping it down and washes it and finally puts it back next to Ace's. "Something special?" She asks again watching Ace curiously noticing her eyebrow twitch slightly.

"Yeah I have to go and find another job to do since this one didn't turn out like I had hoped." Ace huffs as she crosses her arms over her chest. "And I have to go out and get some new clothes for you since you obviously didn't bring any." She continues waving her hand at Eva who looked down at her simple outfit compared to Ace's stylish yet subtle clothing.

"What's wrong with my clothes they're comfortable." Eva says frowning at Ace and looks back at her own plain tank top with her black shoes and khaki pants that had mud spots on them.

"Nothing but I think you're going to need some more since you are going to have to stay here for who knows how long." Ace explains as she turns out the lights to the kitchen and walks into the massive living room with Eva right behind her.

"Oh that's what you meant!" Eva exclaims laughing when Ace gives her questioning look. "I thought you were talking about how my they looked!" She explains laughing and laughs harder when Ace gives a bewildered look.

"No. You can pick out whatever you want I don't care what you wear as long as you don't start copying me." Ace calmly says shaking her head as Eva gasps and stares at her with her finger pointed at Ace. "What is there a spider?" She quickly asks anxiety filling her voice as she quickly whirls around and looks but sees nothing.

"No you made a funny!" Eva cheers springing forward and getting Ace in a tight hug. "I was starting to think you didn't have a funny bone Ace! But you do!" Eva laughs making her grip around Ace tighter nearly crushing her.

"Yes Eva I am not a robot I can make jokes if I want to." Ace says trying to pry the overly excited teen off but fails and only gets crushed even more. "Eva I can't breathe…going to faint…" Ace gasps as she lets her body go limp in Eva's arms.

"Ace?" Eva questions, as she loosens her grip and looking at the girl with a confused look. "Ace?" She asks again panic slightly filling her voice as she gently shakes Ace. "ACE?" Eva shouts violently shaking Ace then drops her on the couch and runs into the kitchen to get some water. "DON'T WORRY I'LL SAVE YOU!" She shouts running out of the kitchen with a glass and prepares to dump it on Ace when she opens her eyes and shouts at her.

"EVA DON'T YOU DARE POUR WATER ON ME!" Ace orders jumping up off the couch and nearly knocks Eva over who narrowly catches the cup without spilling a single drop of water.

"I'm sorry I didn't know you were awake…wait…" Eva says looking at Ace a moment. "You were pretending to faint weren't you." She says frowning when Ace merely scoffs and looks away.

"It was the only thing I could think of at the time you were crushing me and if I'd been silent any longer I would have actually passed out." Ace corrects Eva who in turn rolls her eyes and takes the cup back to the kitchen.

"I guess that makes sense but you didn't have to scare me like that." Eva says smiling when she comes back in and sits down on the couch.

"I wouldn't have if you hadn't screamed in my ear." Ace argues but continues before Eva can say anything. "I'm going to bed, night oh there's a guest room beside my room so you can sleep there." She calls from down the hall.

"I guess I don't have much of a choice." Eva sighs quickly following her and turning out the lights as she leaves and enters the dark room. 'Where's the light switch?' She thinks feeling the wall for the switch and smiles when she finds it and flips it on. "Okay so-wow…" She gasps looking at the fully furnished room with exquisite looking decorations of gold or silver hanging on the wall.

"She must have a lot of free time to decorate and everything…I really don't want to mess up the bed…" Eva looking at the bed that had a beautifully midnight blue blanket on top with a mountain of similar colored pillows around it with a pale baby blue canopy encasing the entire thing. "Oh well she told me to sleep in here!" She chirps jumping through the canopy onto the soft cloud like bed and quickly falling asleep.

… … …

"This is so boring…" Tyran grumbles peering at the nighttime city from his roost on the top of the church. "Yo Scarlet just when exactly do you think my room will be ready?" He asks looking down at the girl who shrugged. "Great…" He sighs, his head drooping slightly.

"Hey ya'll hear that?" Alma suddenly asks leaning her head toward the inside of the church trying to hear something.

"What?" Tyran asks craning his neck as well trying to hear what she was supposedly hearing. "I don't hear anything Alma." He whispers glancing at her a moment then goes back to trying to hear.

"Listen…I think it's someone talking…" Alma says peeking over the edge and catching a glimpse of Esther running around the courtyard with Abel and Leon behind her. "YO GUYS WHAT'S UP?" She calls waving at the group who turn and stare at the three in surprise. "WHO'RE YA'LL LOOKIN' FOR?" She calls again straining to hear what they said but sighs after a few moments of asking them to repeat themselves. "Can't hear them…come'n le's go see what they're saying." She sighs ignoring the other twos groans of protest and gracefully jumps down.

"Finally! We've been looking everywhere for you!" Leon scolds stomping his foot on the ground and lets out an angry sigh.

"Sorry hard to hear up there." Tyran explains standing beside Alma watching the priests and nun carefully. "So what did ya'll want it better not be something stupid?" He growls in an irritated voice tapping his foot on the ground. 'I'm too tired to deal with this bs.' He thinks holding back a yawn.

"What's wrong with you?" Leon demands glaring at Tyran who glares back at him.

"Ignore the grumpy Tyran he gets like that when he's tired." Alma quickly says getting in between the two and waving her arms trying to distract their killer glares. 'An' also when he doesn't trust you very well…' She mentally tacks on. "So what did you want to tell us?" She asks in hopes of changing a subject thankfully they were answered when Abel coughed to get everyone's attentions.

"I see well it's a good thing we came to tell you that your room is ready then isn't it Tyran?" Abel laughs holding up a key that Tyran happily took the usually smile returning to his place.

"ALRIGHT! I'M GOIN' TO BED AN' HITTING THE HAY!" Tyran shouts happily as he jumps into the air and holds his hand high in front of Abel. "Give me five!" He happily says when Abel nervously gives him a high five. "GOOD NIGHT ROME!" He cheers in a sing song voice taking a striking stance and then quickly runs off to find his room.

"He seems much better knowing he has a room…" Abel finally says after a few minutes pass by and no one says anything.

"Eh heh-heh…meet Tyran when he's ubber happy about finally getting something he wanted." Alma sighs as she face palms and shakes her head.

"Well that would explain it…" Abel laughs when Scarlet scoffs. "What is something the matter?" He asks looking at the teen.

"No but you guys should wait till he gets something and he's already in a good mood he will literally be bouncing off the walls." Scarlet remarks her arms crossed and mumbles something else that no one hears.

"Yeah that's true…and we speak from experience you try dodging a hyper Tyran!" Alma whines shivering at the painful memory. "I ended up with well over twenty bruises that day." She whispers in a pained voice.

"You got off easy I got at least fifty!" Scarlet remarks as she started to shiver slightly. "I will never forgive him for that!" She growls a dark aura surrounding her.

"I don't think I want to know." Leon sighs as he turns and leaves the group.

"Heh-heh I should really get going now!" Abel nervously says as he turns and quickly follows after Leon nearly tripping on his way.

"Ignore my cousin Esther…hey speaking of which we haven't really talked to you that much have we?" Alma asks smiling a broad smile.

"No I think you've mainly been with Abel, Leon, and Tres." Esther answers in a polite voice.

"Yeah…you know what tomorrow we should go shopping ya know for a lil girl time!" Alma says happily as she begins to drag Scarlet away who was still fuming about Tyran's past hyper episode. "We can leave whenever ya want to in the morning, good night Esther sweet dreams!" Alma waves as she rounds a corner and vanishes from view leaving a surprised and shocked Esther all alone in the courtyard.

"I guess I have plans for tomorrow…I suppose I should go talk to the Cardinal first and be sure I don't have a bunch of work tomorrow." Esther sighs quickly turning and starts walking to Catarina's office.

… … …

"I never thought I'd miss a bed so much!" Tyran sighs as he enters his room and literally jumps onto the bed right after he shuts the door. "Sweet, sweet bed how I've missed you!" He laughs rolling over and just stares at the blank ceiling a moment lost in deep thought.

"Come to think of it the last time I remember falling asleep was after we'd runaway and slept under the stars." He murmurs softly as the scene of stars and trees swaying gently in the wind flows through his mind. "I've probably slept in a bed since then but can't remember it sucks…but then again I don't think I wanna remember what happened." He sighs closing his eyes and making the vision float away.

"Crud I sound like Nox did before he vanished all depressing and junk. I have to get over the past." Tyran growls as he scowls up at the ceiling. "It's already gone and done with nothing I can do but look forward and make a bright future!" He continues closing his eyes and letting out a soft huff. "Especially since I have two of my friends back…I'm beat time to go to sleep." He yawns stretching a moment then pulls the soft covers over him and falls asleep with a content smile on his face.

… … …

"Um…Lady Catarina are you in here?" Esther asks knocking on the door waiting for an answer.

"Yes what is Esther isn't it getting late?" Catarina asks when Esther walks into the room looking up at her and noticing the anxious expression. "Is something the matter Ester?" She asks looking the young nun in the eyes.

"Oh, you see Alma invited me to go shopping with her and Scarlet tomorrow and I was wondering if I didn't have any work to do that I could go?" Esther asks fumbling over her words slightly.

"I don't see why not, but I want you to be careful be sure you three don't get into any trouble is that clear?" Catarina asks in a gentle tone smiling when Esther's face lights up.

"Yes ma'am, thank you ma'am we will be careful!" Esther excitedly says clasping her hand together in joy and runs out of the room smiling happily and softly humming to herself.

… … …

"MICKELE GO AWAY I HAVE WORK TO DO!" Shadow shouts tossing an empty bottle at Mickele who easily dodges and shakes his head.

"No listen I decided the best time to get my vodka is tomorrow." Mickele says ducking down to dodge the black orb Shadow threw at him. "Calm down no need to get violent." He barks holding his hands to show he doesn't mean any harm to Shadow.

"GO AWAY!" Shadow shouts again preparing another orb to through at Mickele when Mickele tosses a sheet of paper at him. "What is this?" He demands reading over the fine font carefully.

"It's when the specific type of vodka I like comes in and it only comes in tomorrow!" Mickele loudly whines pointing to one the date on the small sheet of paper. "It won't be there after a week so I'm asking no begging you to please take me then I'll only buy that one brand!" He whines even louder getting on his knees with his hands clasped together.

"Fine but only because ya said you were begging me." Shadow finally gives in snickering at Mickele. "Now get out so I can finish all this stupid paperwork." He barks setting the paper on his desk and shoos a smiling Mickele out.

"Shadow if you weren't a dude I'd kiss you right now!" Mickele laughs smiling ear to ear as Shadow shoves him out the door. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm so glad you understand!" He says as he continues to laugh and ignores Shadows irritated and shocked expressions.

"I'm not sure how to take that first statement Mickele…" Shadow sighs as he pushes Mickele into the hallway and slams the door on his face before he can say anything else. "He creeps me out sometimes I blame Tyran and his drinks." He states sighing when he slumps down into the soft cushioned chair and stares at the miniature mountains of paper work in front of him. "Remind me why I let 'im win again?" He grumbles under his breath glaring at the papers mocking him.

"Because you thought he wouldn't beat you with you going easy on him." Night scoffs making Shadow jump and nearly fall out of the chair. "Nice, real smooth Shadow." He sighs as Shadow glares in his general direction.

"WHY DO YOU DO THAT?" Shadow shouts his face turning red with rage when they hear a knock on the door.

"Shadow is someone else in there?" Isis asks from the other side as Shadow in shock makes the chair fall backwards. "Are you alright?" She asks again turning the knob.

"I'm fine…no, no one's in here jus' me an' the stupid chair that always falls backwards." Shadow says raising up from the floor covered in papers.

"Is that who you were shouting at?" Isis asks looking at Shadow with concerned filled eyes.

"Yeah…I kinda got frustrated from all the paperwork an' then the chair nearly tipped an' I…um well…" Shadow explains his face flushing red as he tries to hide it with all the papers. "I well blew and yelled that chair…" He finishes coughing at the end his face still beat red.

"You shouldn't be that stressed from that little bit of paper work." Isis finally sighs shaking her head in disapproval. "How about you finish three more pages then you can go do whatever you usually do." She calmly says watching with intrigue as Shadow shakes his head and starts sorting the papers out.

"I'm takin' Mickele to Rome tomorrow so I have to finish what I can today so I won't have to worry 'bout work while I'm there." Shadow answers as he continues to pick up all the paper that had fallen and restack them in mini mountains.

"Oh I see but it is getting pretty late aren't you going to bed soon?" Isis asks looking out the window towards the darkening sky that was being filled up with bright tiny stars.

"Not yet I'll finish another stack then I'm off to bed." Shadow says grabbing a pin and begins to fill out the papers. "An' don't worry I won't be here till morning." He assures her before she says anything else.

"Alright I expect you to hold that promise." Isis smiles softly nodding an approving nod toward Shadow. "Well good night then." She says quietly closing the door and goes to her room to sleep.

"Yeah night." Shadow answers yawning as he lays his head done on the desk and closes his eyes.

"Careful the first sign that you're going to fall asleep is laying your head down and closing your eyes." Night teases materializing behind Shadow's chair and pokes him in the back of the head.

"Shut up I have to finish this stupid stack then I can go to bed and sleep." Shadow growls raising back up and continues to scribble on the papers quickly glancing over them. "Stupid paper work but we have to know how much money we have an' all that junk." He sighs putting his signature on another sheet.

Shadow managed to do a few dozen more work sheets when his eyes began to get heavy and they'd droop every now and then. "Shadow, don't push yourself you fought Mickele today and even had to relive painful memories you've done enough go to bed and get some sleep." Night says a hint of concern in his voice sighing when Shadow shakes his head. "Don't be stubborn just go to bed." He says in a firm tone.

"I can't I told Isis I'd finish one more stack." Shadow argues letting out a mighty yawn and sets the pin down to rub that sleep out of his eyes. "Besides who's the one responsible for makin' me relive those memories?" He asks picking the pen back up and finishes another half a sheet when he falls forward asleep.

"I told you, you need sleep." Night sighs as he picks Shadow up and sets him on the small navy blue coach. "Now let's see if watching him helped me any." He sighs walking over to the desk and sits down in the chair to start doing the paper work.

"Stupid…Mickele…" Shadow grumbles in his sleep rolling over and curls up into the fetal position on the couch. "I'll win next time…" He mumbles again as Night sighs and shakes his head.

"I swear you are one of the oddest children I have ever met." He laughs looking at one of the papers that appeared to be inventory. "Next I'm going to have to ask him to remind me how he keeps a business going and no one ever finds out who they are." He sighs filling out all the blanks and goes to a next one that looked like a bank statement. "And how does he manage to keep up with all this? He can barely function without someone helping him…I guess that will always be a mystery." Night grumbles ripping the paper to shreds and picks up another sheet of paper. 'This is going to be a VERY long night.' He thinks signing Shadow's signature on the bottom of the paper and continues on.

… … …

"Okay I'm confused why are we going shopping tomorrow?" Scarlet asks sprawled out on Alma's bed watching as her cousin brushed her hair. "And another thing why bring Esther, we hardly know the girl." She continues rolling over onto her stomach.

"I don't know it just seemed like a good thing to say." Alma answers as she gathers the blank and lined papers off up in a pile and starts sorting them out. "Besides what harm could come from a little shopping?" She asks looking closely at a piece of paper before setting it with the other papers covered in doodles.

"Well for one thing you're not too big a fan on shopping and another don't say what harm because then something bad will happen." Scarlet sighs, jumping off the bed and walks over to the window.

"Nah, that only happens when people say at least it's not whatever or at least we still have this or that." Alma answers putting the piles on her desk and crawls under the blankets. "Besides I saw somethin' that might cheer Ty up." She continues grabbing a small slit of paper on her drawer and shows it to Scarlet.

"You're kidding right? You want to get him this stuff you know how expensive it is?" Scarlet asks her eyes nearly popping out of her head when she read the paper.

"I know but we have enough to buy it an' plus I was gonna go to you know a book store an' get some new books or something." Alma says smiling softly as she gets back under her covers.

"Should of known but why would you do that I mean I know he likes that stuff but why not go later on?" Scarlet asks setting the paper back down and gives Alma a questioning look.

"It's his favorite and it only comes in tomorrow I'm afraid it'll be gone any later that's why an' besides I think it'll cheer 'im up." Alma says shrugging her shoulders as Scarlet nods in agreement.

"That's true he has been a little down even though he won't show it. I he's bugged by what happened." Scarlet concludes nodding her head curtly.

"An' not bein' able to remember, so it's agreed tomorrow we go an' get Tyran his brand and see if he feels any better an' we also get to know Esther she seems nice what do you think?" Alma asks looking around only to find Scarlet gone. "Jerk probably left to go to bed." She pouts as she gets up and locks the door then goes to bed and falls asleep.

_**Eva: YES WE'RE ACTUALLY SEEN!*bouncing off the walls happy***_

_**Ace: QUITE BEING SO HAPPY!*grabs Eva and ties her down* Calm down!**_

_**Eva: I don't wanna!**_

_**Tyran: How do you manage to stay so happy?**_

_**Ace: I have no idea how she does it but at this rate I'm going to have grey hair by my twenties.**_

_**Eva: I'm so happy because my glass is always full!**_

_**Alma: I always thought it was half full?**_

_**Eva: No it's half full of water and half full of air!**_

_**Author: But isn't there nothing between air?**_

_**Eva: So?**_

_**Author: So it wouldn't be fully full it'd be less.**_

_**Eva: But not half full.**_

_**Author: But there isn't anything between water particles either.**_

_**Eva: Then it'd be empty.**_

_**Author: NO there's nothing between air and water so it'd jus' be less than full is my point.**_

_**Eva: It depends on if you're filling it up or emptying it.**_

_**Author: I'm filling it up.**_

_**Eva: Then it's half full.**_

_**Alma: That's what I said!**_

_**Eva: Shush.**_

_**Author: Anyways thanks for reading hope ya'll like Before the Storm!**_


	17. Chapter 17

_**Author: I do not own Trinity Blood.**_

_**Alma: Yep enjoy!**_

Chapter 17

"Alma come on wake up we have to leave early!" Scarlet shouts banging on her cousin's door her hair in a high pony tail and still in her pajamas.

"Go away…" Alma grumbles from the other side rolling onto the other side of the bed and pulls a pillow over her head to block our Scarlet's banging.

"NOT UNTIL YOU GET YOUR LITTLE BUTT OUT OF BED!" Scarlet roars banging on the door again ignores the stares from the other nuns and people passing.

"No." Alma growls tossing the pillow she was using at the door and lays back down to go to sleep. "I'm too tired to get up…" She grumbles to herself pulling the blankets over her head.

"That's it no more misses nice guy." Scarlet barks to no one, putting her hand on the handle and freezing it. "There we go." She smiles slyly twisting the handle gently making it fall in half. "NOW ALMA GET YOUR-OOF!" She grunts as a book flies and hits her face.

"Go away…I'm sleepy." Alma grunts raising up out of bed her dark hair going every which way and lets out a mighty yawn. "What time is it?" She asks looking around her dark room squinting at Scarlet's silhouette in the doorway.

"It's time to get your lazy butt out of bed so we can get going Esther is already waiting and we have to wake Tyran up." Scarlet barks throwing the book back to Alma who dodges it and starts to stretch.

"Fine let me get dressed an' eat some break feast I'm starving!" Alma grumbles as she sluggishly gets out of bed grabbing a pair of dark denim jeans, red t-shirt with black designs, and her favorite jacket. "An' that door knob better be fixed when I come back cause I ain't gonna be the one to break it to Catarina that I need a new one." She says closing the door to the bathroom.

"Fine…" Scarlet scowls picking up the still frozen nob and puts it back in its' hole then thaws it out. "There that should do it." She says triumphantly straightening up with pride. "Alma hurry your butt up we haven't got all day!" She shouts banging on the door and lets out a heavy sigh. 'Why do I even try if I tell her to hurry up she slows down and if I tell her to slow down she hurries up it makes no sense!' She thinks banging her head on the door once when Alma finally opens it her hair no longer wild.

"Why are you banging on the door with yer head?" Alma asks in somewhat surprised tone as she looks at her cousin with concern filled eyes.

"Because I had nothing better to do now come on we have to wake Tyran up." Scarlet sarcastically says rolling her eyes as she turns and leaves with Alma close behind.

"What do you think we should do to wake him up?" Alma asks as they walk to Tyran's room.

"I don't know depends on whether or not he wakes up when we tell him or we have to go to plan b torture." Scarlet snickers as they continue down the hall and pass Abel and Leon.

"G'mornin' we'll see ya'll later we're goin' shopping with Ester!" Alma chirps waving at the two and smiles brightly.

"Yes she told us I hope you have fun try not to get into any trouble." Abel says smiling kindly as Leon rolls his eyes.

"Those two are nothing but trouble magnets how can they not get into trouble." Leon scoffs shaking his head earning him dark glares from Scarlet and Alma.

"Hey! I'm only accident prone when she's around!" Scarlet defends herself crossing her arms over her shoulder.

"Dido!" Alma argues but grows quiet and nervous. "Okay…I guess I can see your point since we're always near each other it would seem like we're always accident prone." She sighs hanging her head low.

"What? You know what forget this we have to go and wake up Tyran so we get going!" Scarlet scoffs quickly walking off and drags Alma with her.

"Bye see ya'll later hope ya'll don't miss us!" Alma calls waving at the two as she gets dragged away.

… … …

"Ugh my head hurts…where am I? What day is it?" Shadow grumbles as the light spills in through the windows with his head pounding. "Crud…I have to go to Rome today don't I?" He mutters to himself raising up and scowls at the blinding light.

"Shadow!" Isis scolds slamming the door as she storms into the room making him fall off of the couch. "I thought you told me you wouldn't stay in here all night!" She barks sending him cold icy glares.

"Wha?" Shadow asks in a daze looking around the room his mind still numb from sleep. "I didn't do paperwork all night I only did another stack then went to my room." He says then looks at Isis with a confused expression. "Which reminds me why're you in my room Isis?" He asks getting a very confused look from Isis.

"This isn't your room it's your office that you fell asleep in while doing paperwork!" Isis shouts slapping Shadow in the back of the head and continues to smack him with a thick folder of piles. "WHAT KIND OF AN IDIOT ARE YOU? THE FIRST TIME YOU ACTUALLY DO WORK AND YOU WORK ALL NIGHT AND FALL ASLEEP ON THE STUPID COUCH!" She roars as Shadow tries to defend himself from being battered by the papers by holding his arms above his head.

"I didn't do all the paperwork I swear I fell asleep in the chair just a few minutes after you left!" Shadow pleads covering his head with a pillow as Isis continues her assault.

"YOU EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE THAT? THERE IS NO PAPERWORK LEFT SO YOU EITHER DID IT ALL OR SOMEONE ELSE DID IT FORE YOU!" Isis shouts jerking the pillow away from Shadow and whacks him one more time.

"Really?" Shadow asks looking up at the desk to see all the papers neatly stacked on the opposite of the desk. "Wow…I didn't do that." He says standing up and rubs his sore head as he walks over to the desk and looks through all the papers finding them all signed with his signature and filled out. "Geez whoever did this copied my signature perfectly…but I made it so hard to copy!" He whines hanging his head low in shame.

"Well whoever did it you better be glad the filled it correctly." Isis huffs as she looks over the papers carefully. "You are lucky I believe you now get out of here and get ready." She sighs shaking her head at Shadow.

"Alright...Geez you whack harder than I expected why did you do that?" Shadow whines rubbing the whelp that had appeared on his head.

"And by get ready I mean change clothes and brush your hair." Isis says as Shadow leaves the room with a scowl.

"I already know that!" Shadow barks slamming the door behind him. "I'm not stupid I know how to get dressed." He grumbles walking to his room.

… … …

"Ace are you awake?" Eva asks knocking on Ace's door and continues until she hears a stir and someone grumbling.

"WHAT? GO AWAY!" Ace shouts jerking the door open her face filled with rage and hair knotted on one side.

"I just wanted to know when we were going shopping I'm already ready!" Eva says in her usual cheerful voice unfazed by Eva's rage. "So are you going to get ready?" She asks again still smiling as Ace's eyebrow twitches in annoyance.

"Ugh…I'm getting ready." Ace grunts closing the door and takes out a pair of dark trousers and a black tank top along with a long black trench coat. "When did you wake up anyways?" She asks Eva as she changes out of her pajamas and starts brushing her hair. "Hey did you even hear me?" She demands opening the door and walks into the living room to see Eva lying on the couch.

"What? Did you ask me something?" Eva asks in a surprised tone as she raises up from the couch.

"I asked you, what time did you wake up anyways." Ace says shaking her head and tosses Eva the hair brush for her unruly hair. "Looks like you need this." She says as she pulls her hair up into a high pony tail and ties it with a black silk ribbon.

"THANKS I REALLY NEED THIS!" Eva cheerfully says as she starts on the one side of her frizzy black hair and then starts on the other once that one is smooth. "You know you wouldn't think it but it feels real good once you've brushed your hair after it was all knotted." She says as she starts to braid her long hair that was now smooth and shiny like silk or satin.

"Okay this is the third time I've asked but what time did you freaking wake up?" Ace asks again shaking her head at Eva.

"Oh I forgot…well I usually wake up pretty early but since I was tired I slept a little later than usual." Eva says tapping her chin in deep thought. "But if you want a time I woke up about thirty minutes before the sun rose…not sure about what time though." She finishes grinning at Ace.

"Why, did you wake up so dang early?" Ace asks in a confused tone with an expression to match. "I don't see the point in waking up so early." She sighs shaking her head.

"Well you did say that we had to wake up early so you could go and get a new job." Eva answers in a cheerful tone while smiling brightly at Ace.

"Right I remember saying that next time I'll be more specific don't wake up at the crack of dawn." Ace laughs as she rolls her eyes playfully and starts packing her bags. "Come on we have to hurry to the office so I can one of the good jobs before anyone else gets them." She says as she puts the sack on her shoulder and heads toward the door.

"Wait there are other bounty hunters in Rome?" Eva asks tilting her head to the side.

"Not necessarily in Rome but yeah one in particular that I'm not too fond of just because of how she's a stone cold killer." Ace replies her eyes darkening at the last part.

"What's her name?" Eva asks waiting outside as Ace shuts off the lights, closes the door and puts the pad lock back on it.

"Her name's Sage from what I hear and she'll do any job if you pay her enough but I also hear that she prefers work that involves groups not just one person but groups I don't know why so don't ask." Ace answers walking ahead of Eva as they head off towards the town.

"She doesn't sound to friendly…" Eva quietly says a slight frown on her face.

"She's not and if you take my advice which I suggest you do don't ever get into a fight with her she shows no mercy." Ace advices glancing back at Eva a moment.

"Got it but I bet she's real nice once you talk to her." Eva says smiling once again and only gets a sigh from Ace.

… … …

"Tyran wake up!" Scarlet shouts pounding on the door with Alma beside her. "COME ON GET UP OR WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE!" She continues scowling when she doesn't hear anyone moving inside.

"Did ya try turning the knob Scarlet?" Alma asks as she lets out a mighty yawn.

"…Well…" Scarlet says as she turns the knob and the door opens. "I figured it was locked so don't say anything!" She defends sending Alma death glares.

"Huh? I wasn't gonna say anything." Alma says as she follows Scarlet into Tyran's room and yawns again.

"Tyran wake up." Scarlet says looking at the sleeping Tyran that hung off halfway off the bed with his hair hanging limply in his face.

"Ty come'n get up we haven't got all day ya know." Alma says poking Tyran in the cheek only receive a grunt and roll from Tyran.

"TYRAN GET YOUR LAZY BUTT UP!" Scarlet shouts in his ear but only gets a grumble and he pulls a pillow over his head.

"go away…" He grumbles in his sleep his voice muffled from the pillow.

"Scarlet look." Alma whispers pointing to the end of the bed where Tyran's feet were exposed. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" She asks a mischievous smile slowly appearing on her face as she and Scarlet silently stalk toward the end of the bed.

"Yeah Tyran this is your last warning wake up." Scarlet says as she reaches the end smiles and evil smile.

"No…go away." Tyran grumbles again not suspecting the two.

"Plan B torture." Alma whispers as she and Scarlet start tickling Tyran's feet. "Come'n wake up Tyran!" She playfully says holding his feet down as he tries to jerk them away.

"WILL YOU TWO JERKS QUITE?" Tyran shouts breaking away from his two torturers and tucks his feet under him as he glares at them. "GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" He shouts pulling the blankets up when Alma and Scarlet try to take them off the bed.

"No you have to get ready so we can leave!" Alma whines as she and Scarlet tug once more and bring the blankets plus Tyran sprawling onto the floor. "I guess this answers the question boxers or briefs." Alma laughs as Tyran scowls at her in his dark green boxers.

"GET OUT NOW!" Tyran roars quickly jumping up and starts shoving the two out of his room. "LEAVE ME ALONE SO I CAN GET DRESSED!" He shouts slamming the door in their faces and locks it. "Bunch a jerks." He grumbles as he picks out his clothes and goes to the bathroom to change.

"Hey that was kind of mean…I know he doesn't like being tickled but still." Alma grumbles crossing her arms over her chest when Scarlet nudges her. "What?" She asks but steps a few feet back when she sees a small slab of ice hovering above Tyran's door.

"Alma, melt this for me so that I can get Tyran back for shoving me out the door." Scarlet says as Alma shakes her head and sighs. "Why not?" She asks looking at Alma with a sad expression.

"Cause I don't want to get 'im anymore mad than he already is Scarlet." Alma answers crossing her arms and gives Scarlet a disapproving look.

"Oh come on it won't hurt him and besides it'll make him learn to get up on his own." Scarlet, whines and smiles when Alma sighs in defeat.

"Fine but I know we're gonna regret this." She sighs and puts a small flame above the ice watching as it begins to slowly melt and form a puddle hanging in thin air.

"Okay I'm ready now what exactly are we-C-C-CO-COLD!" Tyran shrieks opening the door and gets the freezing water dumped on him. "I. Am. Going. To. Kill. You Two." Tyran growls his pale green eyes blazing at the two.

"RUN!" Alma shouts as she and Scarlet quickly take off running away from Tyran that started to chase them.

… … …

"Alright I'm ready are you Mickele?" Shadow asks looking around for the young teen. "MICKELE!" He calls cupping his hands and sighs. "Great he ran off." He sighs slumping his shoulder and hangs his head low.

"SHADOW COME ON WE HAVE TO LEAVE NOW!" Mickele shouts running towards Shadow at a tremendous speed with a small empty sack in hand.

"What took you?" Shadow asks stepping to the side so Mickele can pass and watches as Mickele slides on the rug into one of the ivory green walls. "I give you a five for the entrance, six for style, and zero for making me wait." Shadow says in an amused tone as Mickele glares at him.

"What do you know our cold hearted leader does have a heart?" Mickele teases laughing when Shadow's face turns a bright red. "I'm kidding we know you have a heart you're a real good guy." He laughs as he twists around and stands up. "But anyways I was late because I had to find my bag to hold my vodka in since neither one of us look like we're aloud to drink it." He laughs again brushing himself off and fixes the carpet.

"Yeah it's a good thing you brought that sack." Shadow sarcastically says rolling his eyes at Mickele. "Come'n if we leave now we'll be able to make it before they open." He says walking towards the doors and going out into the dim morning light seeing the world shrouded by fog still.

"Right oh hey it's still foggy!" Mickele says in a surprised tone as he looks at the scenery. "Are we walking or driving?" He asks Shadow but sighs when he sees him already nothing more than a dark blob in the fog. "Walking it is then." He sighs as he quickly follows after Shadow.

… … …

"Thank you for your business again Sage." The stalky man says watching the young teen carefully as she counts her money. "So how are you coming along with your own personal vengeance quest?" He asks taking a long slow drag on his cigar that filled the small room with a terrible scent that smelled like a mix of old cheese and curdled milk.

"It's coming along not that it's any of your business Porky." Sage rudely answers glaring up at him with her blue grey eyes that held nothing but anger and hatred toward no one in particular. "This is not all the money." She dryly states glaring at him all the hatred in her eyes now directed to him.

"Come now I was merely seeing if you know better than to count your chickens before they hatch my dear." The man says taking out more money and hands it to Sage without any arguments.

"Do that next time and I'll ring your fat neck." Sage coldly says when the door opens and Ace followed by Eve walk in.

"Ugh…Boris I thought I told you to lay off the cigars they smell worse than a dead animal in the mid afternoon of summer." Ace complains waving her hand to emphasize the stench.

"And you would know wouldn't you Iracebeth?" Boris says with a not amused expression on his face as Sage quietly counts the money he gave her. "What can I do for you today?" He asks when he notices Eva holding her nose behind her. "Who's your friend there?" He asks smiling a smug smile.

"Not a bounty hunter but she's tagging along with me so what do you have for me?" Ace asks Boris who laughs and notices Sage looking at him.

"Is everything alright I do believe I gave you the rest of your payment Sage?" He asks and smiles when Sage nods and he realizes what she wanted. "Oh yes you wanted another assignment too alright here you go I think this one will suit you." He says handing her a small folder.

"Thanks Porky." Sage says smiling a cynical smile and leaves brushing shoulders with Ace.

"I don't like that girl." Ace growls glaring at the door after Sage was gone. "Eva don't you dare go try to talk to her." She orders looking to see Eva sitting in a chair.

"I won't but could we leave I think my nose is dead." Eva says wiggling her nose for emphasis on the dead part.

"Haha I like your friends sense of humor Ace!" Boris laughs handing her a small folder. "This one should do it has a high price but I hear the man is pretty weak, clever but weak." He says as Ace nods and turns to leave with Eva.

"Later Boris see you around." Ace says as she waves and closes the door behind her. "Ah a new assignment I'll do this later right now we have to go shopping and get you some new clothes and toothbrush." She says sticking the folder in her sack and heads toward the shopping part of town.

"Right!" Eva cheers, skipping alongside Ace a bright smile on her face. "So what store are we going to first?" She asks looking up at the early morning sun and watches a few small song birds fly by.

"Well we have to wait since it's still pretty early let's just go walk around to kill time." Ace suggests as she takes a deep breath and sighs. "Ah I always hate going there that place stinks." She grunts taking another few breaths.

"You know I wasn't kidding when I said that I think my nose died, I can't smell anything." Eva whines as she wiggles her nose again and taps it a few times. "Nope can't smell a thing." She sighs as her head droops and Ace laughs.

"Yeah same thing happened to me the first few times I went there, I've told him that those things sting but he won't listen to me." Ace laughs shaking her head as the two continued down the nearly empty street.

… … …

"RUN AWAY CRAZY FREEZING TYRAN AFTER US!" Alma shouted as she and Scarlet ran past Catarina's office.

"What is going on?" Catarina asks as Abel steps outside to see what was going on when Tyran swerves around the corner and slams into him.

"AH WATCH OWW!" Tyran cries as he and Abel topple over. "Where'd those demons go?" He growls rubbing his head and quickly looks around his eyes filled with rage and his wet hair clinging to his head. "I'll kill ya'll two little demons when I catch you!" He threatens as he jumps up and jumps over Abel when he spots Alma and Scarlet's heads peeking around the far corner.

"EEEEK!" They yelp in unison quickly taking off when Tyran starts chasing them.

"GET YER STICKING BUTS BACK HERE! I'LL KILL YOU TWO FOR DUMPING THAT WATER ON ME!" Tyran shouts quickly rounding the corner and vanishes leaving behind a still dazed Abel on the ground.

"What happened?" Abel dazedly asks from the ground listening as Tyran's shouts fade in the distance. "Why is Tyran chasing them-AH!" He cried when Alma topples over him.

"Ouch… Abel, why're ya laying in the middle of the floor looking around like an idiot?" Alma asks as she stands up and shakes her head. "Hey ya'll haven't seen Tyran around have ya'll?" She asks as she quickly runs into the office and hides behind one of the chairs.

"Actually we saw him run by not too long ago when he was chasing you two." Abel says when as he stands up and starts brushing himself off and hurries inside the office.

"Why is Tyran chasing you two?" Catarina asks her eyebrow twitching in annoyance but changes to shocked when they hear a screech and see Scarlet whiz by Tyran right on her tail.

"HOLD STILL! I'LL KILL YOU NEXT TIME!" Tyran shouts his voice fading in the distance again as Abel looks at Alma and notices she is trembling.

"Are you scared?" He asks catching Alma's attention and earns him death glares from the young girl.

"NO!" Alma quickly barks but then grows silent. "Yes…it was an accident okay maybe it wasn't but still! Hey have ya'll seen Esther?" She quickly says when Esther walks in and she smiles. "Hey come'n we should get going like now before Tyran finds me and tries to skin me alive." She says poking her head outside and nervously glances around.

"Why would he do that?" Esther asks when Alma nods and grabs her wrist. "What are you doing?" She asks watching Alma carefully.

"Hang on we're gonna make a run for it on three." Alma says in a quiet voice ignoring Esther's confused stutters and protest. "One, two…THREE! RUN BEFORE HE CATCHES US!" She shouts as she quickly takes off in a sprint dragging Esther behind.

"WAIT ALMA!" Esther screams at the top of her lungs as the two run by Scarlet and Tyran. "ALMA!" She screams again when Alma jumps and lands on top the roof and continues to run.

"Scarlet don't you da-she's gone." Tyran sighs as he takes off after the three his clothes still damp from the water. "I SWEAR I'LL KILL YA'LL!" He threatens chasing after them as they jump onto another roof with Esther and run even faster. "YOU TWO ARE THE WORST BRATS I'VE EVER MET!" He roars jumping down back to the Vatican and enters Catarina's office with a scowl.

"Do I want to know why you were chasing them?" Catarina asks letting out a sigh as Tyran sits down in the chair grumbling about something.

"No you don't wanna know why I was chasing 'em." Tyran grumbles in a sulking tone. "Stupid brats dumping freezing water on me I'm still damp from that." He continues under his breath.

"I see…I honestly don't want to know why they dumped water on you." Catarina sighs watching as Tyran stood up and turned to leave. "Where are you going?" She asks looking at him with curiosity.

"Pay back and if that means I have to chase them all over Rome so be it I will get them back." Tyran growls quickly leaving the room and starts off toward the direction they had gone.

… … …

"That was fun we left earlier than we figured we would but still it was fun." Alma laughs her hands behind her head as the three walk down the still early morning street only seeing a few people walking. "Wow it must be really early." She says glancing around looking for any more people but didn't find any.

"Yeah Tyran's so easy to piss off its funny but I didn't mean to drop the water on him like that I was only going to make it drip and when he looked up have him freak out but not actually drop it on him." Scarlet says laughing manically as Alma and Esther sigh and take a few steps away from the insane teen.

"So that is what you did why would you drop water on Tyran and how did that even happen?" Esther asks in a confused tone with an expression to match.

"I told you it was an accident I just wanted to freak him out a bit for shoving us out the door not actually dump all that freezing water on him." Scarlet says with a huff as she crosses her arms and ignores the two.

"Yeah we went to wake 'im up but when we tried to yell at 'im he only grumbled so we tickled his feet which made 'im wake up right away an' then he well kind a kicked us out literally." Alma sighs laughing nervously as Esther nods and tries to hold back her laughs. "It's alright ya laugh at us we knew he didn't like being tickled but it was the only way to get him up so quickly." She continues as Esther starts to laugh and Tyran sneaks up on Alma and Scarlet and quickly whacks them in the back of their heads.

"Ha, told ya'll I'd get ya back!" He laughs triumphantly as he does a dramatic pose. "I decided to be nice an' not kill ya'll." He continues ignoring the glares from Scarlet and offended looks from Alma.

"Ty I don't think you'd be the one doin' the killing." Alma sighs shaking her head. "I think that'd be more up Scarlet's ally." She laughs smiling brightly when Tyran glares back at her.

"Sure whatever you say Alma." Tyran dryly says rolling his eyes towards the sky. "So how long do we have to walk around exactly?" He asks looking around at the still closed stores.

"I don't know ask Esther we've only been here for a few days." Alma answers with a shrug when she spots an open sign. "Hey there's a place come'n let's see what's in it!" She chirps as she grabs Tyran and Esther's wrists and begins dragging them toward the shop with Scarlet behind her.

… … …

"Hey at least the fog's clearing up right?" Mickele asks walking beside Shadow as he looks around and sees the shadows of trees through the fog that was beginning to vanish.

"Why would it matter? It's not like we're gonna get lost." Shadow states looking at Mickele with an odd expression.

"No? Well what about that one time when we got lost on the way to San Antonio?" Mickele asks with an eyebrow raised.

"Okay for the last time that was because we had grabbed the wrong map and Tyran refused to drive all the way from Oklahoma to basically Mexico and I was stuck driving with a sleeping Tyran in the back!" Shadow barks as he hangs his head and his shoulders slump down.

"Still though-hey look people!" Mickele says as the two stop and see two blobs getting bigger and taking the shapes of humans approach them from the fog.

'Wait…those people are human but they aren't vamps eithers so what're they it's on the tip of my tongue but what is it?' Shadow thinks as the two emerge from the shadows to reveal a tall man that looked to be in his early twenties and a younger girl beside that stood only to his shoulders.

"Huh? Hey lot of fog this morning huh?" The tall man asks smiling a full smile to reveal his pure white teeth as the girl beside him merely scowled. 'Dang it those two are Guardians just what I need Sage is gonna kill them if they say the wrong thing.' He thinks glancing down to Sage a moment but then looks back to Shadow and Mickele noticing Shadow watching them carefully.

"Yeah…where're ya'll coming from?" Shadow asks carefully hiding his caution from the two. 'Crud now I know by the smell of that girl those two are Destroyers I have to get Mickele and me outta here before this goes south!' He thinks quickly glancing at Mickele who was looking at the tall man with curiosity.

"Rome are you two heading that way?" The man asks as he stands in front of Sage and starts tugging her to the other side of the road with Shadow following suite.

"Yeah…you could say that." Shadow cautiously answers as he pulls Mickele down the edge of the road with the man doing the same. "What's yer name?" He asks as the four stare each other down opposite from one another.

"Drox and since I told you mine tell me yours." Drox says gently pulling Sage away as he passes Shadow and Mickele.

"Shadow…hopefully we won't see each other again huh Drox?" Shadow asks smirking as Drox nods and the two groups quickly walk away from the other.

"That didn't end too badly." Mickele says glancing back a moment to see Drox grab Sage and lift her over his shoulder. "Well…she definitely doesn't like us." He states watching as Drox continues to walk away with a shouting Sage pounding his back.

"Yeah so I noticed come'n we don't want her to break free an' start trying to kill us." Shadow says glancing back but quickly looks forward. "That'll be the last thing we need." He adds as the two continue their way.

"Nah the last thing we need is to be attacked by vamps." Mickele says laughing when Shadow shakes his head at him. "What it's true I mean we can take on a few maybe a few dozen but if there's like an entire group we're screwed." He states in a joking but serious manner.

"Don't jinx us Mike we do not want to run into any vamps while we're on this lil errand." Shadow growls narrowing his eyes at Mickele who merely shrugs it off.

"I know…hey do ya think we'll run into Alma or Scarlet?" Mickele quickly asks looking around as the fog began to thin out.

"I don't know I sure hope not I don't think they'll be too happy running into us." Shadow jokingly says trying to hide the disappointment in his voice.

"Yeah true, did ya ever figure out why they left exactly?" Mickele asks but rolls his eyes when Shadow only shrugs and shakes his head. "Come on you have to know something!" He says in disbelief looking at Shadow.

"I don't know honest they got mad 'bout something then next thing I know poof they're gone." Shadow says making his hands mimic a small explosion. "I didn't even get to ask 'em what made 'em so mad they jus' had to leave right then." He sighs hanging his head.

"Aw poor, poor Shadow he didn't even get to tell Alma he liked her." Mickele teases easily dodging Shadow's quick punch. "Why are you so mad I was just teasing…wait you actually like Alma!" He states in a surprised tone and gasps.

"Shut up or I'll ring yer stinking neck!" Shadow threatens holding his fist in the air with his face a deep red. "I don't like 'er she's got a temper an' is rude-"

"And has a crude sense of humor just like you." Mickele teases as a mischievous smile spreads across his face.

"Mickele!" Shadow barks his face turning brighter as he chases after Mickele and the two run around in circles. "Say it again an' I swear I'll kill ya!" He roars as Mickele narrowly dodges him and takes off toward Rome which was in sight and closing fast.

… … …

"Well the shops should be opening soon come on let's go see if any of the clothing stores are open yet." Ace grunts pulling Eva towards the shop as the sun sluggishly rises in the sky.

"Yay! I get new clothes!" Eva cheers jumping up and down like a little girl following as Ace leads the way. "Hey do you hear someone screaming?" She suddenly asks as she and Ace stop to listen and hear the faint sounds of someone yelling.

"Yep…do you want to go check it out?" Ace asks looking at Eva with a small smile and an expectant look in her eyes.

"I don't think we have to it sounds like whoever it is, is coming closer." Eva states pointing to the source as it becomes louder and they see two teens rolling down the road.

… … …

"GET BACK HERE!" Shadow shouts as he continues to chase Mickele who keeps running ahead of him.

"Never!" Mickele shouts as he turns a sharp corner and runs down the road when he sees two girls standing in the middle of it. "Shadow wait there's-ACK!" He gags when Shadow tackles him to the ground and the two go rolling.

"AH! Oof…Mickele I told you I'd kill ya if ya kept saying that!" Shadow barks when they finally quite rolling and stop in front of Ace and Eva as he rubs his lower back. "Geez I forget how hard roads can be on yer back." He grumbles picking up a pebble and tosses it at Mickele.

"Ow jerk you tackled me in front these two young ladies have you no decency?" Mickele demands as he points to Ace and Eva who were staring at the two in confusion.

"When I'm mad an' after ya…honestly no I don't." Shadow bluntly states shrugging his shoulders as he stands up and brushes himself off.

"Hey don't I know you?" Ace asks looking at Shadow carefully as he thinks and shakes his head.

"Nope never seen ya in my life you must be thinking of someone else." Shadow says grabbing Mickele by the back of his shirt and starts to drag him off.

"HEY PUT ME DOWN YOU JERK!" Mickele shouts shaking his fists at Shadow who calmly shakes his head.

"Shouting in front of two young ladies have you no decency Mike?" Shadow asks in a mocking tone as he continues to drag Mickele away and waves back at the two. "Later sorry to bother ya'll." He says smiling brightly as he and Mickele leave.

"Well…that was interesting…" Eva says after a few minutes of silence. "Those two seemed fun." She happily chirps turning to Ace who was in deep thought. "What's up?" She asks tilting her head in confusion.

"I met him before he's the one that hired me to bring back Alma and Scarlet." Ace says coldly glaring towards where Shadow and Mickele had been a few minutes ago.

"Whoa really then why didn't he you know attack us or something?" Eva asks covering her mouth in shock.

"I don't know but we better keep an eye out for those two come on let's not let that ruin shopping." Ace cheerfully says as she swiftly turns and drags Eva along with her.

"Right off we go!" Eva chirps as she begins to drag Ace instead and heads toward the shops smiling brightly as the streets begin to become busy.

… … …

"RUN!" Tyran shouts dodging another vase's shards as the shop's owner continues to chase after them with a broom.

"YOU FOUR GET BACK HERE AND PAY FOR THOSE VASES YOU BROKE!" The owner shouts throwing another shard of glass at the group.

"I'M SORRY!" Alma shouts as the four round a sharp corner and quickly duck into an ally that the owner passes shortly after.

"Alma!" Tyran hisses his fist clenched. "I thought I told ya not to touch anything when we went inside and saw all the vases!" He continues his eyes blazing with rage.

"I didn't mean to I was walking and there was a lil lump in the tile an' I didn't see it an' I tripped!" Alma cries on the verge of tears her body trembling. "I swear I didn't mean to break anything! When I tripped I fell an' smashed into the vases which fell and shattered and they hit other vases that shattered too!" She whines loudly.

"Honestly yer one of the most accident prone people I've ever met!" Tyran growls smacking his forehead with his hand and looks towards the sky that was slowly turning a bright cheerful blue.

"It's not my fault I didn't mean to break all the vases…." Alma whimpers her light brown eyes brimming with tears as she looks at the ground.

"Well that ain't gonna fix anything is it?" Tyran demands as he glares at Alma when he notices that she's on the verge of tears. 'Crud…' He thinks letting out a soft sigh. "Alma don't cry come'n I didn't mean to hurt yer feelings honest." He says in a sympathetic tone as he kneels down and tries to look Alma in the eyes.

"It's okay…" Alma softly says looking away from Tyran.

"Tyran! You should know better than that!" Scarlet barks as she smacks Tyran in the back of the head repeatedly.

"Tyran how could you be such a bully, you made Alma cry whenever it was an accident!" Esther scolds shaking her head at Tyran.

"I said I was sorry! OW!" Tyran yelps when Scarlet smacks him again.

"I don't care you made her nearly cry you're nothing more than a bully." Esther says as she hugs Alma who looks at the two in confusion.

"How 'bout we go back an' pay for the broken vases?" Alma suddenly asks her tears slowly drying up. "We could make Tyran pay for them and I apologize for breaking them." She says looking at the three.

"I don't see a problem with that." Tyran says rubbing the back of his bruised head that was developing many whelps from Scarlet. 'Ow I forget how hard Scarlet hits…I'm so gonna have a headache for the rest of the day.' Tyran thinks wincing in pain as his head throbs and he follows the group. "Whose money are we using?" He asks looking at the three in front of him.

"How 'bout the church's I'm sure they won't mind." Scarlet suggests holding up the money that Catarina had given to her earlier that morning.

"Well…I guess that'll work but will we have enough to go shopping afterwards?" Esther asks when the three start laughing. "What did I say something funny?" She asks in confusion as the three shake their heads.

"No but don't worry we'll have enough money even though we ain't back home we still have money from the business that we own." Tyran explains patting a confused Esther on the head as they reach the shop. "Okay here goes nothing, Alma you coming in with me?" He asks looking back at Alma who nods. "Alright in we go to face the demon." He jokingly says as he opens the door and sees the owner sweeping up the shattered vases that littered the ground.

"Um hi…we came back to see if we could pay for all the damage?" Alma says hiding behind Tyran as the other hide behind her while the owner looks up and glares at them.

"That would be nice but I don't think you guys could pay for it all." The owner bluntly says as he straightens up and pops his back.

"Well we could try." Tyran says following the man up to the counter while the other three silently grab brooms and begin to sweep up the floor. "How much would it be?" He asks watching the man add up the numbers.

"Well not considering taxes it would be seven hundred ninety-five dinars but with taxes eight hundred fifteen dinars." The owner calmly says as Tyran silently curses and counts the money.

"Crud…well that's all we have." Tyran grunts handing the man the money and scowls as he turns to leave. "Alright ya got yer money now ya can't throw vases at us anymore-OUCH!" Tyran cries when a wooden broom connects with the back of his head.

"No now you can help the other three sweep up the mess." The owner bluntly says handing the broom to Tyran who scowls when Alma walks up.

"Um…I'm really sorry 'bout breaking all the vases it was an accident honest…" Alma softly says looking up at the man with big pleading eyes and a sweet angelic face.

"Oh it's alright most of them were about to break anyways…" The owner smiles kindly patting Alma on the head and whacks Tyran again who was standing there in disbelief.

"That was for just standing there and glaring at this nice young lady." The owner barks as Tyran rubs his head and begins sweeping.

… … …

"Shadow look it's a candy shop come on let's get some candy!" Mickele cheers dragging Shadow down the road to the candy shop across from an old vase store.

"I don't see why not." Shadow answers as they two enter the shop and he notices the shards of glass littering the road. "Whoa what happened over there?" He asks the man at the counter who shakes his head.

"Someone broke a lot of his vases so he chased them out and threw the shards at them." The man replies shaking his head as Shadow and Mickele browse around.

"Hm oh they have caramel!" Shadow laughs as he takes a few pieces of the dark golden candy and grabs a few random pieces of candy then heads to the cashier.

"Yeah you would get excited about them having caramel." Mickele teases as he picks up a sucker. "This looks good." He says as he picks out few more colors and walks over to Shadow who was waiting for him.

"Alright that will be fifteen dinars." The man says taking the money and gives Shadow back his change.

"Alright, now where too?" Mickele asks as they walk out the door and into the mid-morning sun. "Hey the suns out yahoo!" He laughs running ahead of Shadow who was looking at the vase shop.

"Hm…well he did say someone broke the vases sounds like something Alma would do by accident." He says with a shrug and quickly chases after Mickele.

... … …

"Finally old man was making me irritated." Tyran grumbles glaring over his shoulder in the direction the shop was as the group walked the opposite way.

"Well you were the one that kept grumbling about paying back for the vases and then having to do stupid some sweeping." Scarlet sighs as she rolls her shoulder and pops it.

"I lost track about how many times ya got hit in the head I think you'll have some brain damage." Alma says looking back to Tyran with a teasing smile.

"Shut up first I get smacked around by Scarlet then an old man kept whacking me in the EXACT same place as where she beat me! I think I already have brain damage with every smack I get that's a few hundred dead brain cells!" Tyran rants shaking his head.

"Well it's a good thing your brain cells can heal then isn't it?" Scarlet mocks as she rolls her eyes at Tyran.

"So Esther, where do ya wanna go first?" Alma asks looking at Esther who smiles nervously.

"I'm not sure…" She answers in a soft voice laughing softly. "I don't go shopping a lot…" She continues smiling nervously.

"I see, I see how 'bout a book store?" Alma asks her bright smile dying down to a frown when Scarlet and Tyran grumble in protest. "If ya'll wanna say something say it!" She barks looking back to the two.

"Fine you always go to book stores and you spend ALL day in a single store just looking at the same things!" Scarlet argues as she and Alma butt heads with sparks flying between the two.

"This is going to be a long day…" Tyran sighs as Esther nods in agreement the two careful to avoid Alma and Scarlet's argument.


	18. Chapter 18

_**Hello people sorry 'bout the wait…okay maybe it wasn't that long but still not the point and I'm getting off topic aren't I? Okay well hope ya'll like this chapter.**_

Chapter 18

"Alright so we have candy and some sodas now we just have to wait till the stupid place opens." Mickele grumbles as he slowly nurses his soda and looks back at Shadow who was gazing at one of the windows.

"I wonder if I should get that…" Shadow quietly murmurs looking at the sketch book behind the glass his reflection staring back at him. "I bet she'd like it if I ever run into her I could give it to her." He says as a faint smile appears on his face and he quickly turns and enters the store.

"Shadow?" Mickele asks in confusion watching Shadow enter the store and quickly follows. "Crud…how much am I willing to bet this has something to do with Alma of some sort I swear dude's like Romeo a love sick puppy." He grumbles under his breath entering the store as he looks for Shadow.

… … …

"Awesome!" Alma cheers as she spots a shop with a book in the front window and quickly breaks away from the group. "Later ya'll can go wherever ya'll want I'm goin' in here for a bit." She calls waving at the group as she enters the store.

"Should we follow her?" Esther asks looking to the other two who merely shrug and shake their heads.

"Nah she'll be fine it's only a book store not like it'll be over-run by some vamps while we go look around the town." Tyran dryly says lazily waving to the store.

"Yeah besides if Alma wants to go look at a few books won't hurt anything." Scarlet playfully scoffs as the trio round a corner and enter a busy street.

"I guess not…well at least it's getting busy now." Esther says glancing over her shoulder a moment in concern but quickly shrugs it off and catches up with the two who had stopped to wait for her.

"Geez yer a worry wart Alma can handle herself besides the worst that could possibly happen is that Shadow is there and in a bad mood." Tyran continues shrugging his shoulders.

"What do you mean in a bad mood aren't you enemies?" Esther asks in confusion as Tyran bobs his head.

"Yes and no it's complicated I mean we've been friends well since we could crawl if not longer it's kind of hard to break those bonds no matter what happens an' besides Shadow ain't that bad…well he wasn't but for some reason he started to act differently a couple years ago from what I can remember at least." Tyran explains laughing nervously.

"It's true he didn't really start acting like an as-jerk until a couple years ago when me and Alma were trying to find out why he was acting nervous but…I don't know something was and still is wrong." Scarlet sighs softly her hazel eyes filled with pain but she quickly hides it and smiles. "But anyways enough about that what about you Esther what do you like to do?" She asks smiling cheerfully to a still confused Esther.

"Oh okay…" Esther says softly smiling back to Scarlet. 'This is confusing so this Shadow wasn't bad until a few years ago…then what happened that made him turn?' She silently ponders her blue eyes filled with sympathy. "Well I guess I like to just look around at the clothes stores…" She says a soft blush appearing on her cheeks.

"Oh you like to window shop a lot like Alma she'll be in a store all day but won't buy anything." Tyran laughs as he pats Esther on the head and shakes his. "That comes in handy especially when ya have a cousin that's an impulse buyer like Scar over there." He taunts pointing to Scarlet over his shoulder as Esther's blush deepens and Scarlet's face reddens with rage.

"You take that back you Tyrant!" Scarlet huffs as she glares knives and daggers at his back. "I only buy what I want and look at the price before I decide to get it anyways so there!" She barks crossing her arms over her chest as Tyran sighs and shakes his head.

"Yeah and then if you don't have enough you borrow Alma's money since she always has extra." Tyran mocks a cocky smirk plastered on his face as Scarlet continues to give him death glares.

"At least I have money unlike you you're nothing but a moocher!" Scarlet argues back her fists clenched by her sides.

"That was only one time Scar an' I paid 'em back so you can't use that lame excuse." Tyran sighs shaking his head as he laughs quietly to himself.

"That still counts just like that ONE time I borrowed money from you and forgot to pay you back." Scarlet argues holding her index finger up as Tyran scoffs and looks away.

"You've borrowed money from me plenty of times an' forgot to pay me back so don't use that excuse." Tyran scoffs in a matter of fact tone as Scarlet stands there silently fuming and glaring at him.

"Hey how about that store it looks interesting!" Esther suggests getting in between the two as she points to a store with flowers and other odd ornaments hanging from its roof.

"Eh? Sure why not." Tyran grunts as Esther drags the two to the shop. "Might as well since we gotta wait on Alma." He says as they enter the shop.

… … …

"Hello young lady is there anything that I can interest you in?" The shop keeper asks Alma as she browses around the isles a warm welcoming smile on his face.

"Oh no I'm just browsing." Alma answers politely as she takes a book from the shelf and skims through the pages not noticing Mickele walk by and do a double take.

'Hey Alma's here! I should probably tell Shadow he probably wants to say hi to her.' Mickele thinks as he quietly rushes off to the window of the shop where Shadow as looking at the sketch book from earlier. "Shadow guess what!" He excitedly says in a low whisper tapping Shadow on the shoulder.

"What?" Shadow asks in a bored tone as he looks back to Mickele who points to one of the shelves a big smile plastered on his face. "Are ya high or somethin?" He asks in a concerned voice an eyebrow raised in question.

"No I'm not high but guess who's here!" Mickele dryly answers hanging his head but quickly looks back up to Shadow smiling widely.

"I don't know who?" Shadow asks shaking his head in confusion a matching look on his face.

"Guess come on it's someone you've really been wanting to see!" Mickele says in hushed tone trying to make sure Alma didn't hear him.

"What? Mike I don't have time for yer stupid games I gotta get this book an' find some way to give it to Alma." Shadow growls rolling his eyes as he turns his back on Mickele and heads toward the owner with the sketch book in hand.

"That's who's here! Alma she's right around the corner reading a book!" Mickele whispers dragging Shadow to where Alma was.

"What? Mickele I'm not-I can't jus' go over an' talk to 'er we ain't on the best terms right now!" Shadow says his face turning a bright red as he grabs onto the edge of one of the shelves to stop Mickele.

"Why not?" Mickele asks in confusion as he stops and tilts his head in confusion.

"Because an' that's the only answer yer gonna get so deal with it!" Shadow barks in a low tone as he quickly passes Mickele and heads toward the counter again but grabs a hat on his way by.

"Stubborn bastard I'm only trying to help…maybe I could tell Alma?" Mickele murmurs to himself rubbing his chin in deep thought as a sly smile slowly creeps onto his face. "Yeah tell her that we're here and have her talk to him." He quietly laughs heading to where Alma is when Shadow comes back and grabs the back of his shirt and starts dragging him.

"Don't you dare." Shadow growls dragging him to the counter and sets the sketch book and hat on the counter while Mickele sulks with Shadow's grip still on the back of his shirt. 'Though it would be a good time to give this to her…nah I'll give it to 'er another time.' Shadow thinks paying the owner and quickly leaves with his hat on and still dragging Mickele behind him.

"Is this all for you today?" The man behind the counter asks as Alma sets a book on the counter.

"Yeah I wanted to get that sketch book I saw in the window but when I went over to get it, it was gone oh well." Alma replies smiling kindly as the man taps his chin in thought.

"You know there were two young men in here not too long ago and one of them did buy that book I'm sorry I don't have any more if you come back next week I should have some though." He finally says totaling the amount as Alma's face brightens and she nods.

"Yeah that'd be awesome thank you!" Alma chirps handing the man the money as she grabs the book and runs out of the shop to look for the other three. "Wonder where they went?" She murmurs standing in the middle of the road looking around for her group.

… … …

"I didn't think I'd ever get so many clothes!" Eva exclaims as the duo exits the shop and she rustles the bags in her arms trying to peer over them.

"Well we don't know how long you'll be staying and you're going to need plenty of clothes especially if you're going to be following me around on my business trips." Ace answers adjusting the new shades on her head and shifts the bags that dangled from her arms.

"Hey isn't that Alma?" Eva asks craning her head over the bags to show Ace who she was talking about.

"I think so…how can we be sure?" Ace asks looking up the road and seeing a teen girl looking around with a black hat on her head and holding something in her hands.

"I know!" Eva says as she takes a deep breath. "ALMA IS THAT YOU?" She asks at the top of her lungs smiling when Alma turns toward them and waves. "Yeah that's her come on let's go say hi!" She chirps running toward Alma dropping some of her bags on the way.

"Yeah you do that I'll stay here and pick up YOUR clothes that YOU dropped." Ace sarcastically says picking up Eva's bag as she heads toward Alma.

"Eva? Ace? Why're ya'll here?" Alma asks tensing up when Eva runs toward her full speed and grabs her in an enormous hug. 'Now I know how Ty an' Scarlet feel like when I hug 'em…' Alma thinks as Eva's hug tightens into a death grip and she starts to loose oxygen. "Eva…can't breathe le' go." She wheezes her face slowly turning blue.

"OH sorry its been so long at least a day if not more since we last saw you! Where are the others?" Eva asks letting go and continues smiling as Alma coughs for air and takes deep breathes.

"Yeah missed ya'll too." Alma laughs catching her breath and straightens back up when Ace comes up behind Eva and whacks her on the back of her head. 'Since when is a day a long time?' She thinks shaking her head as she laughs to herself quietly.

"Ow what was that for?" Eva whines holding her head as Ace drops the bags on the ground by her feet and gives Eva a stern look.

"You left all of your clothes on the ground!" Ace barks pointing to the bags as Eva looks at them a moment and nervously laughs.

"That's right I forgot about those because I was talking to Alma." Eva explains smiling brightly as Alma looks at the two in confusion then at the bags then back to the duo.

"So ya'll were shoppin' for clothes?" Alma asks as Eva enthusiastically nods and Ace sighs but nods curtly.

… … …

"Okay so here's the place." Mickele says as he and Shadow stop in front of the old liquor store with a painted wooden sign that said Spirits. "Are they open now?" He asks walking up to one of the windows and presses his face against the glass trying to peer in but sees nothing but shadows and silhouettes of glass bottles.

"Apparently not come'n let's go somewhere else t-" Shadow begins but stops in midsentence when the door opens and a middle aged man nervously pokes his head out the door. "Hi are ya'll open?" He asks waving to the man. 'What's that smell?' Shadow thinks sniffing the air that held a thick heavy metallic scent.

"Yes we just opened if you will wait a few moments while I get everything ready then you two young men can come in and browse around." The man answers smiling a broad smile as he quickly closes the door and the two can hear shuffling from the inside.

"Mickele do ya smell something…odd?" Shadow asks stopping to think of the right word to say as Mickele sniffs the air and gives him a confused look.

"Yeah what is it? It doesn't smell good but it's not…so horribly disgusting maybe there's a dead animal around or some sewage you never know." Mickele answers as he sniffs the air again but this time his nose wrinkles up in disgust. "Agh what is that? It's terrible!" He gags as a new foul stench wafts through the air and both boys hold their noses.

"I don't know but it smells like it's coming from the back come'n ugh it's making me sick to my stomach!" Shadow gags, tugging Mickele's sleeve as he heads toward the back of the shop. 'That man smelled funny too he smelled like…it's on the tip of my tongue…' He thinks quietly stepping over the twigs and continues toward the back when he hears a loud screech and both freeze in fear.

"What the heck was that?" Mickele quietly asks jumping back and stumbles over the ground nearly falling but Shadow catches him and gives him a cold glare.

"Hush whatever it is it can't be good news." Shadow sternly says in a low tone as Mickele nods and they both start off toward the back again that was still shrouded from the mid mornings sun by the store's shadow. 'It's bugging me that I can't find the word that-blood!' Shadow thinks noticing the blood that lay in splattered pools on the ground around the corner of the house. 'Why would there be…crud so either there was a murder or that dude was a vamp and either way someone's already dead.' He thinks gritting his teeth as they edge near the corner a growing nervousness in the air.

… … …

"Well at least this shop didn't turn out like the last one." Esther laughs as the trio walks out of the shop each holding a small bag of assorted knick-knacks. 'This is turning out to be very fun!' She thinks smiling happily as the two Guardians walk behind her having a private conversation. 'I wonder what they are talking about?' She thinks glancing back at the two smiling at them and waving. 'I know it's not nice to snoop but I really want to know!' She thinks listening in on their conversation.

"I don't get it why're you so uneasy Tyran what's bugging you?" Scarlet asks in a hushed tone as Tyran shakes his head and tells her he is fine but she didn't believe him and kept pestering him until he finally answered in a low harsh voice.

"I have a bad feeling okay something's wrong surely you've smelled the faint stench of something dead!" Tyran growls looking at Scarlet with a calm look but quickly looks toward the sky. "It worries me…" He whispers quietly as Scarlet closes her eyes and sighs.

"Don't worry whatever it is it's not our problem we've already got enough to worry about since we have to find the orbs." Scarlet growls as she looks at Esther who quickly faces the front as Scarlet shakes her head and sighs. "Come on we have to find Alma who knows what trouble she's gotten into." She sighs as Tyran nods and the trio enters another busy street when they hear familiar voices ahead.

'Orbs what orbs are they looking for?' Esther thinks a concerned look on her face but quickly hides it when she glances back and smiles a bright smile. "I'm sure she isn't in trouble." She laughs as the other two shake their heads and say you never know.

… … …

"Alma you should go shopping with us!" Eva cheers taking Alma's hands and starts jumping up and down excitedly.

"What? I don't really like shopping I'm more of a browser…" Alma replies smiling nervously as she looks over to Ace a pleading look on her face.

"Sorry can't help you." Ace smiles, shrugging her shoulders as Alma's pleading look changes to death glares toward Ace.

"Forget you Ace! Eva honestly I don't really like shopping besides I have to try to find the others!" Alma says as Eva stops jumping and Ace snaps her fingers.

"I just remembered something Alma you know when I first met you guys I was sent to bring you back?" Ace asks as Alma nods in confusion and Eva starts rambling about her meeting Tyran. "Well I saw the man that hired me earlier but he said he'd never seen me in his life if I remember correctly his name is Shadow…" She continues as Alma instantly pales and her jaw hangs open slightly.

"What?" Alma sharply barks a blank expression on her face as she tries to register what Ace had just said. "You mean ya'll met Shadow an' he said he never met ya?" She asks in confusion as Ace nods for her answer.

"Yeah it was weird at first I didn't recognize him because he looked different and there was this kid with him but then I remembered and when I asked him he said he'd never seen me before." Ace explains watching as Alma tenses up and stomps her foot on the ground.

"Why would he come here?" Alma growls as she glares at the ground a scowl on her face. "Wait kid?" She quickly asks glancing at Ace who nods. "What did he look like? Hazel eyes, dark blonde almost brown hair, light skin, did he cuss?" She asks as Ace rolls her eyes in annoyance.

"I don't know I wasn't really paying attention they came rolling down the hill and the kid called Shadow a jerk." Ace sighs shrugging her shoulders.

"That's Mickele…why would the two of them be-never mind I know exactly why they're here." Alma sighs as she rolls her eyes and shakes her head in annoyance.

"Huh? What is it?" Eva asks her eyes shining with curiosity as Alma rolls her eyes again.

"If Mike's with 'im then that means he's jus' gonna get the same thing we're gonna get Ty." Alma dryly states as she stomps her foot on the ground. "Jerk jus' what we need a fight an' I tell ya if we run into 'im there's gonna be one." She growls under her breath.

"Well then I guess we're going to have to avoid them huh?" Ace laughs patting Alma on the shoulder when she sees Tyran and the others walk around the corner. "Hey look there's the others." She says pointing to them as Alma glances over shoulder and sees the group.

"Ace, Eva whatever ya'll do don't mention Shadow to the others." Alma whispers as she waves to the group who had finally notice them and start heading her way. "I don't know how Ty will react but I think it'll be bad so jus' don't do it." She explains as the two nod and wave to the group.

… … …

""Shadow you saw that blood do you think that it's a vamp?" Mickele asks softly as the two press themselves against the wall when they hear faint voices.

"How was I supposed to know that he'd have two customers so early?" The middle aged man from earlier asks another older man who was giving him a disapproving look.

"And what do you plan on doing about them drinking their blood too?" The older man asks in a cold voice his thin lips forming an even deeper frown.

"I don't know I guess I can pose as the old man but-do you smell that?" The younger man asks holding his nose in the air and sniffs.

'Crud…he picked up our scent this isn't good not at all!' Shadow thinks taking a step back and bumps into Mickele. "Mike listen we gotta get outta here there's only two of 'em but there could be more an' the last thing we wanna do right now is get into a frenzy with a bunch a vamps." He whispers as Mickele nods and they start to quietly back up when Mickele bumps into someone.

"Um…Shadow tell me that it's not a vamp behind me…" Mickele whispers his eyes squeezed shut as Shadow turns and his eyes bug a moment.

"Okay it's not a vamp behind you…" Shadow whispers staring up at the man behind Mickele that stood well over six feet and had a massive chest.

"Really?" Mickele asks in a soft voice as he cracks an eye open and looks up at the man behind him. "AH!" He shouts jumping away from the man when he tries to grab Mickele. "You lied you told me that it wasn't a vamp! That dude is so totally a vamp look at his fangs!" He shouts pointing up at the man that glared at them.

"Well what did ya expect ya told me to tell ya that it wasn't a vamp so I did!" Shadow barks throwing his hands into the air. "Ya should a known that it was a vamp anyways!" He continues smacking Mickele in the back of the head.

"I knew it was a vamp but I was hoping that it wasn't that's why I said that I didn't actually think you'd tell me that it wasn't when it was!" Mickele shouts back as the two start butting heads and sparks fly between the two.

"Um excuse me but aren't you two supposed to be you know scared of me?" The vampire asks in confusion as he taps the two on the shoulders.

"SHUT UP THIS AIN'T YER ARGUMENT STAY OUT OF IT!" Shadow roars to the vampire and surprises him enough to where he stumbles back in shock and holds his hands up then watches as Shadow goes back to arguing with Mickele.

"Okay…anyone know what to do I don't think they are paying attention?" The vampire asks looking around at the other vampires that had appeared from the shadows and were watching the two bicker.

"NEXT TIME I SAY "TELL ME IT'S NOT A WHATEVER IT IS" TELL ME WHAT IT IS!" Mickele shouts as he and Shadow continue to butt heads.

"I have an idea!" One of the vampires pipes up and begins to walk over to Mickele.

"FINE BUT THEN YA CAN'T YELL AT ME FOR TELLING YOU!" Shadow roars both his fist clenched when he notices the vampire come up behind Mickele. "Um…Mike there's a vamp behind you." He says pointing to the vampire as Mickele stops but doesn't look.

"Yeah right I'm not going to fall for that trick." Mickele scoffs holding his head high as Shadow sighs and glares at him.

"No I ain't kidding there's a freaking blood sucker behind you." Shadow says in a louder tone. "LOOK BEHIND YOU DANG IT MICKELE!" He shouts grabbing Mickele's face and forces him to look and see the vampire that was only a few inches from his face.

"AH! GET AWAY!" Mickele screeches as a huge gust of wind and rocks slam into the vampire and send them flying.

"Now ya've gone and done it…" Shadow sighs not noticing a vampire quietly come up behind him until they have him in a head lock and start cutting off his oxygen. "HEY LE' GO OF ME YA STINKING BLOOD SUCKER!" He shouts thrashing around and even bites the vampires arm.

"OW WHAT THE HELL WHO BITES?" The vampire demands smacking Shadow on the head trying to get him to let go not noticing the dark orb form in Shadow's hands.

"I DO!" Shadow barks releasing the orb into the vampire's stomach making them fall to the ground in pain. "Now we definitely gotta get outta here Mike?" He asks looking around trying to find Mickele when he hears Mickele shout and see him running from a hoard of vampires. "I'm hostage for a few seconds an' ya get a mob to chase ya…it's a miracle yer still alive." He sighs as two more orbs form in his hands.

"So that's what you are." The older vampire from earlier sneers appearing behind Shadow and tosses some dust at him before he can react. "It has been a while indeed since one of your kind was seen fighting our kind." He calmly says watching as Shadow's orbs begin flicker on and off when they finally disappear altogether.

'What's going on I couldn't see straight if my life depended on it…bad comparison it just might.' Shadow thinks trying to make his eyes focus on the man in front of him but continues to only see blurs and blobs of colors. "What was that junk what do ya mean ya don't know anything about my kind!" He growls blinking a few times trying to clear his vision.

"That my dear boy is little something called Night Dust it's very powerful isn't it? It's certainly strong enough to make such a strong Guardian pass out after a few moments at least." He says as Shadow struggles to make out what he was saying.

'Dang it…who is this guy?' Shadow thinks numbly his mind slowly shutting down as he struggled to stand. "That so, how exactly did you even hear about us we aren't really the social type?" He demands as his vision begins to darken and he starts to stumble.

"Oh we have ways to know about your kind but you shouldn't struggle to figure it out you are certainly in no condition to do so." The older vampire sneers in a mock concern tone as Shadow staggers forward and falls to his knees.

"SHADOW HANG ON I'M COMING!" Mickele shouts running towards Shadow after he blows another dozen vampires into the wind.

'Crud…this may not be the smartest idea but I don't have much choice.' Shadow thinks trying to stay awake when he glances toward Mickele. "Transport…" He whispers holding his hand up when a dark slit forms in the air floating in front of Mickele a second before it suddenly expands and engulfs him and shuts when Shadow closes his fist.

"My, you cared more about your friend then you did your own life you really are something else aren't you?" The older vampire asks smugly his dark eyes coldly watched as Shadow starts gasping for air.

'Crud that used up too much energy it wouldn't have if it weren't for this guy.' Shadow thinks glaring up at him through his hair panting as darkness begins to cover his vision then all goes black.

"Shadow wake up!" Night shouts in Shadow's ear as he slowly slips away. "Crud hopefully Mickele will be able to get help because I'm not much use unless he's awake." He growls watching as the vampire laughs and kicks Shadow in his ribs.

"Guardians." He sneers putting his foot on Shadow's head. "They are no better than the humans that we feed from." He mocks pressing his foot down harder when another vampire appears beside him.

"Sir we were told to not harm their leader." He says as the older vampire glares back at him but stops.

"Very well then hurry we must get him to headquarters quickly." The older vampire barks as two others grab Shadow's arms haul him to the ground then begin drag him as they follow the older vampire.

… … …

"AH! HELP TYRAN I'M BEING ATTACKED!" Scarlet screams running from Eva who was trying to give her a hug but manages to hide behind Tyran who looks at her like she's crazy but before he can move Eva tackles him in a bear hug.

"SCARLET!" Tyran roars struggling to break free of Eva's hug by wiggling on the ground. 'Dang she's strong why won't she let go?' He thinks as Eva continues to hug him. "Why am I being tortured by such a death trap?" He demands sighing happily when Eva finally lets go of him.

"Death trap? I was only trying to give you a hug you looked kind of down…well I was trying to give Scarlet a hug but she ran so I hugged you instead since you were frowning!" Eva happily chirps smiling broadly as Tyran quietly scoots away from her.

'Note to self: DO NOT get caught by one of Eva's "hugs" as she calls it they are death traps!' Tyran thinks brushing the dust off his shirt and pants. "Gee thanks for helping me Scarlet yer such a good friend." He dryly says glancing at Scarlet his jade green eyes filled with annoyance.

"I know you looked like you were having such fun!" Scarlet happily cheers in an enthusiastic tone, holding her fist into the air a broad smile on her face.

"I hate you right now I hope you know that." Tyran coldly says rolling his eyes at Scarlet.

"No you love me!" Scarlet says hugging Tyran who tries to get away but fails. "Come on say you love me Ty I know you do!" She teases wrapping her arms around his neck and chest.

"Get off of me you psychopathic crazy lady!" Tyran shouts when Scarlet's hands tighten and he gags. "Le' go I can't breathe!" He cries grabbing the air when he falls to the ground and Scarlet sits on his stomach. "Why do you only torture me?" He demands glaring at Scarlet.

"I don't torture only you but you're the best to mess with." Scarlet coolly says holding her head high as Tyran continues to glare at her.

"Get yer big butt off of me!" Tyran barks glaring up at Scarlet his eyes narrowed.

"I do not have a big butt!" Scarlet argues shaking her head as Tyran simply rolls his eyes. "What the fuck did you just roll your eyes at me?" She demands her fist clenched.

"Yeah I did an' watch yer mouth now get off of me big butt!" Tyran dryly barks as he rolls his eyes again.

"Fine." Scarlet curtly says quickly standing up holding her head high.

"Thanks." Tyran says rising up and rubs his stomach. "Is it possible that you broke a rib? AH GET YER BIG BUTT OFF OF ME!" He shouts when Scarlet sits back down on him and smacks him on the head.

"No not until you say you're sorry for saying I have a big butt and telling me to watch my mouth." Scarlet says looking up at the sky as Tyran growls at her.

"I AIN'T SORRY NOW GET OFF!" Tyran shouts butting heads with Scarlet.

"Scarlet get off of Tyran it's true you do have a big butt we all know this." Alma says spreading her arms out.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Scarlet shouts as she hops off Tyran and running over to Alma.

"That we all know you have a big butt?" Alma asks innocently as looks at Scarlet with a blank expression.

"…Alma I have half a mind to-" Scarlet seethes when they all hear a large crash and see Mickele run out from one of the allies behind a building.

… … …

"Wait? What happened?" Mickele shouts floating in nothingness as he watches the portal shut in front of him. "SHADOW YOU BASTARD LET ME OUT I CAN HELP! SHADOW!" He shouts at the top of his lungs thrashing his fists around trying to hit something but hits only air. "This can't be happening…as soon as this portal opens I'm going back to help him!" He growls rubbing his forehead.

"But what if there's too many I mean Shadow looked like he was about to pass out and that's saying something!" Mickele barks to himself worry slowly sneaking its way into his voice. "I can't fight as much as Shadow or the others since I'm still training but…the others that's it!" He cheers hitting his fist against his hand. "They're somewhere here if I can find them I can get their help surely they'll help me." He says laughing but stops when he notices another portal open.

"Alright now to find-AH!" Mickele yelps when he gets tossed out of the portal and lands in a trash can creating a massive noise. "Okay now off to find the others!" He triumphantly says quickly getting up and looks to see that he was in an alley. "Where could they be?" He thinks poking his head out of the alley when he sees the group standing a little ways from him. "Aha there they are!" He happily says smiling brightly.

… … …

"ALMA! THERE YOU ARE QUICK I NEED HELP!" Mickele shouts running towards the group trash flying off of him.

"MICKELE?" Tyran and Scarlet shout in unison neither of them noticing Alma face palm in the background.

"Yeah come on I really need ya'lls help with a big vampire problem!" Mickele shouts running up the group.

"Whoa since when do we affiliate with vamps?" Tyran asks glancing at the other two who shrug as Mickele's shoulders droop and he sighs.

"This isn't funny listen these vamps they were at the liquor store-" Mickele begins but Tyran interrupts him.

"I thought I told ya yer too young to drink!" Tyran barks giving Mickele a stern look.

"I know but you see there's my favorite brand of Vodka there today a-never mind getting off topic but me and Shadow went there-" Mickele says when Tyran's and Scarlet's eyes bulge a moment and Alma holds her face with both hands.

"SHADOW'S HERE?" Tyran and Scarlet shout in unison rage reverberating off them in waves.

"YES NOW SHUT UP SO I CAN TALK!" Mickele shouts in rage as the two grow silent. "Good now we were there to get the vodka and there was this man who came out and said they were open but he had to get everything ready well Shadow smelled this odd smell then this other smell filled the air and it nearly made both of us throw up. Shadow thought it was coming from the back and he pulled me back there to investigate." He explains and stops to take a breath.

"Okay when we looked in the back there were two men talking then I guess one of them picked up our scent so we turned to leave but there was this MASSIVE VAMPIRE LUMBERJACK BEHIND US!" Mickele exclaims motioning with his hands for man's height and width. "Then these other vampires attacked us and while I was running for my life, thank goodness for all those times I ran away from the cops." He sighs happily getting off topic when he suddenly remembers as the Guardians shake their heads and the others stare at him mouths gaping in shock.

'HOW OLD IS THIS KID AGAIN?' Everyone but the three Guardians think shock.

"Well while I was running for my life Shadow was hit in the face with this dust stuff then he started to act all loopy I mean he couldn't concentrate there was a vamp standing right IN FRONT of him and he couldn't form a proper shadow orb let alone attack then he collapsed and I went to help him when he suddenly manages to create a stupid portal and send me away!" Mickele shouts and continues. "How the hell does he manage to create a portal and send me away when he can't even fight one lousy vamp that didn't look like he was all too happy with us snooping?" He demands holding his hands up.

"We should help him!" Eva cries walking up to Mickele and starts smothering him. "His friend needs our help!" She whines as she continues to hug Mickele who kept trying to get away.

"Forget it he can handle himself." Tyran coldly says turning his back on Mickele as Scarlet nods.

"Yeah Shadow's pretty tough when he wakes up he'll kick those vamps butts he doesn't need our help." Scarlet scoffs looking away from Mickele.

"WHAT? HOW CAN YOU TWO SAY THAT?" Mickele demands his eyes filled with rage and hurt. "Alma what about you don't tell me you agree with them!" He states looking to Alma who sighed and closed her eyes.

"I don't entirely agree with them if that's what you're asking." Alma says opening her eyes and looking at Mickele. "Shadow is strong yes but if they have more of whatever they used to knock him out he won't be able to fight them." She explains ignoring the looks from Scarlet and Tyran.

"Guess you have a point cuz…besides we'll be able to use it as black mail against him later!" Scarlet laughs evilly, as she claps her hands together and everyone scoots a few feet away from her.

"So what that doesn't mean he won't find a way to get out knowing him he'll be free in no time." Tyran coldly says looking away from Alma to avoid looking her and Mickele in the eyes.

"Tyran you told me earlier that you four were friends for a very long time and that even with what has happened it is hard to break those bonds don't you want to help Shadow?" Esther says looking at Tyran with sympathetic eyes.

"I said it was hard not impossible to break those bonds." Tyran answers his pale jade eyes hard and cold like ice. "If ya'll wanna go help 'im then go I'll wait right here for ya'll." He says walking away from the group.

"But…" Mickele whispers softly his light hazel eyes filled with hurt. 'When did Tyran become such a jerk?' He thinks looking at the ground.

"Now hold on!" Alma and Scarlet shout chasing after Tyran.

"What do you two want ya'll wanna go help him go." Tyran dryly says gesturing with his head toward Mickele.

"You know you want to help him you two were like two peas in a pod when we were kids!" Scarlet says nudging Tyran in his ribs playfully.

"Yeah besides like Scarlet said you could use it for black mail or if it makes you feel better I'm not entirely sure that he was the one that made you a puppet!" Alma says smiling when Tyran and Scarlet give her odd looks.

"What do you mean I know I can't remember much for the past few years but I clearly remember the night I became a puppet Shadow was the one that used that on me!" Tyran argues but gets even more confused when Alma nods her head.

"I know that but I was there too remember something was off about him I can't explain it but it wasn't him. Like I said you could ask him about it when we save his butt!" Alma says smiling a soft smile as Tyran's eyes soften and he looks away.

"Fine…I'll help but ONLY because I want answers no other reason!" Tyran barks glaring at the two as they lead him back to the group.

"Mike!" Alma laughs running up to him. "I've always wanted to say this and this may kill the whole depressingly heartwarming mood an' all but…MICKELE TAKE US TO YER LEADER!" She cheers doing a dramatic pose as Tyran and Scarlet fall over and twitch.

"That doesn't make any sense I hope you know that." Mickele says in a stunned voice as Alma shakes her head and laughs.

"Yes it does in my own illogical way it makes perfect logical sense!" Alma argues hands on her hips as Mickele sighs.

"Alright fine whatever but we have to hurry!" Mickele says as he turns and takes off running toward the shop.

_**Shadow: What the heck how do I get kidnapped by vamps? Why can't Mickele I mean he's younger and still training! WHAT DO THEY EVEN WANT WITH ME?**_

_**Author: Because I don't think they would have helped if YOU came to ask them and you'll never know until the next chapter!**_

_**Shadow: Why not I'm the one that this is happening to!**_

_**Author: For one thing Tyran might try to kill you and another Scarlet would definitely try to kill you and it gives it away for the readers.**_

_**Shadow: Fine but what about Alma?**_

_**Author: I don't know you maybe hit you then yell at you then go and help Mickele while you're left behind in the dust with an angry Tyran and Scarlet.**_

_**Shadow: Geez that's cruel what did I do to deserve that?**_

_**Author: Ask them when you see them.**_

_**Shadow: I'm not even sure I'll be awake when they get there!**_

_**Author: Your point?**_

_**Shadow: O_O…I don't like you.**_

_**Author: Well that's a mean thing to say!**_

_**Shadow: I don't care.**_

_**Author:*sigh*Sorry having some emotional difficulties with Shadow. **_

_**Shadow: WHAT WAS THAT?**_

_**Author: Nothing bye, bye people hope ya'll enjoyed!**_


	19. Chapter 19

_**Author: Okay I know it took like forever but-okay I don't have an excuse I was working on other stories and got sort of side tracked sorry 'bout that.**_

_**Shadow: I bet it was more than a month.**_

_**Author: No it wasn't I updated March 4**__**th**__** so hah!**_

_**Shadow: So still took a long time.**_

_**Author: Forget it I refuse to argue with a still peeved Shadow enjoy people!**_

Chapter 19

"Mike wait up we can't keep up with ya running so fast!" Alma shouts chasing after Mickele who was far ahead of them.

"Well hurry up and pick up the pace we don't have all day!" Mickele shouts back looking at Alma over his shoulder as he continues to speed ahead of the group.

"We're trying but not all of us are as fast as you!" Scarlet shouts back her fist in the air.

"Whatever come on!" Mickele orders as he vanishes over a hill.

"Esther I want you to go back to the church." Tyran calmly says looking down at the girl beside him.

"What why? I can help!" Esther argues as they head over the hill and see Mickele at the bottom waiting by an old green building.

"I know but I want you to go back to the church you can get Abel and the others for us in case we need any help." Tyran explains as Esther stops a moment then nods and turns to leave.

"Why send her to go get Abel and the others I'm sure we can handle them on our own besides we have Ace an' Eva?" Alma asks him as they reach Mickele.

"I know but it'll take her time to get back and convince them to come. I don't know about you but she doesn't seem like the kind that would do well in a battle royal." Tyran answers calmly looking away from her.

"Yeah ya got a point there…Are ya still mad 'bout us talking ya into helping him?" Alma asks standing on her tippy toes and staring intensely at the back of his head.

"No what makes you think th-AHHHH!" Tyran shouts turning his head and falls over in shock from Alma intense stare. "ARE YA TRYIN' TA GIVE ME A HEART ATTACK?" He demands glaring at Alma who simply shrugs and looks away.

"No but I was waiting to see how long before you turned around." Alma calmly answers holding her head high.

"Will you two quite messing around we have to find some way to track them?" Mickele shouts at the two as he turns and heads toward the building.

"We weren't messing around." Alma argues as she follows him sniffing the air. _Oh yeah there's definitely the scent of blood in the air. _She thinks looking around.

"Whatever Scarlet you're good at tracking can you track them at all?" Mickele asks as Scarlet shrugs.

"Don't know I'm not the best and they didn't really leave a lot behind for me to use." Scarlet answers as she looks around only seeing fallen leaves and a few twigs.

"Hey I'm a good tracker!" Eva pipes up her hand shooting into the air as she starts wildly waving it around.

"Why are you-never mind can you track the vamps or even Shadow?" Mickele asks recovering from his momentary shock.

"Yeah I should be able to just give me a second!" Eva cheerfully says as she looks around and picks up a shredded piece of shirt.

"Mike why exactly where the vamps after ya'll again?" Tyran asks looking up at the building shielding his eyes from the late morning sun.

"I don't know they attacked the shop keeper and they didn't really want us snooping around." Mickele explains shrugging his shoulders.

"That would make sense I guess we'll find out the rest when we track 'em." Tyran says jumping when Eva laughs.

"Haha I got it they went that way!" Eva laughs pointing towards the forest.

"Great so now we just have to go find the vampires kill them and rescue this Shadow character. How hard could it be?" Ace sarcastically asks as they head toward the forest.

… … …

"ABEL!" Esther shouts as she runs through the gates and frantically searches for the priest. "Abel where are you I need to tell you something!" She shouts again when she spots the priest and the Cardinal walking down a hallway.

"Oh Esther hello is something the matter?" Abel asks in a concerned tone when he sees Esther's worried expression.

"Yes Alma and the others went to rescue Shadow from some vampires!" Esther exclaims in a panicky voice.

"What do you mean are they not enemies?" Abel asks in confusion looking at Catarina a moment.

"They are but aren't Tyran tried to explain it to me but…it's complicated okay, but they're going up against vampires and we have to help them!" Esther tries to explain but fumbles over her words.

"Wait Esther hang on calm down we need to talk about this more." Abel explains trying to calm Esther down as Catarina nods and heads toward her office with Abel and Esther behind her.

… … …

"So how much further until we find them?" Ace asks ducking under a tree branch as Eva lead the way. _I'm not even sure I want to trust her leading the way._ She thinks sighing.

"I don't know until we find them." Eva answers as she looks over her shoulders. "It could take some time depends on where they have him I can't track him very well since I don't really own anything of his and I doubt any of you do." She says smiling a playful smile.

"Mike got anything otherwise this'll take all day?" Tyran asks as Mickele looks back sheepishly and shakes his head.

"No…not really I don't usually carry something of Shadow's." Mickele answers as he catches up to Eva. "Are you sure you can't find him any quicker?" He asks her his hazel eyes filled with concern.

"I'm pretty sure unless we know something about the vampires then there isn't much I can do." Eva answers smiling softly to Mickele and pats him on the back. "But don't worry we'll find him!" She happily reassures him slapping his back.

"Yeah…wait? Alma you were with someone from the Vatican earlier right?" Mickele asks Alma who thinks a moment and nods.

"Yes that's right we were with someone why do ya think they'll know anything 'bout the vamps?" Alma asks as Mickele nods and jumps into the air.

"Exactly! I bet they've come across some vamps before they could help us find them quicker!" He exclaims a bright smile on his face.

"I guess that's true…it wouldn't hurt to try right?" Tyran asks looking at the group who nods.

"Ace, Eva ya'll wait here for us we'll be right back to get ya'll 'cause we still kind a haven't exactly told Catarina about ya'll." Alma nervously laughs rubbing the back of her head as the two give her disapproving looks.

"Why didn't you tell her about us?" Ace asks sending Alma an odd look as she shakes her head.

"Well…for one thing I was bringing Ty with us an' it'd be odd to show with a bounty hunter and explorer with us so…yeah plus we hardly know the chick an' didn't know how she'd react to us bringing Ty." Alma quickly explains smiling a bright smile to the two who seem to accept the answer and nod. "Great so we'll head back and get there as quick as possible so we can find Shadow an' get some answers!" She says quickly turning and heads back the direction they had come from.

"Well might as well the sooner we get this over with the better." Tyran scoffs as he follows Alma but stops and glances back at Mickele a hint of concern in his eyes. "You better stay here too from what I know Catarina doesn't know anything 'bout our kind sides the fact that we control elements." He explains as Mickele nods and leans on a tree an impatient look on his face.

"Ya'll have two hours to get back here or I'm leaving without ya'll." Mickele barks holding two of his fingers up to the group.

"Right we'll try our best to be back before then!" Alma calls as she breaks into a run along with the others.

… … …

"Hurry Abel they went this way the last time I saw them!" Esther calls running ahead of the group as they go through the crowds that had gathered in the streets.

"Esther slow down we're coming as fast as we can it is very difficult to navigate through these crowds you know!" Abel calls searching for the red head that had vanished into the crowds. "Why me?" He sighs and hangs his head low then continues on with Tres and Leon by his side.

"Great so now we have to find her as well where the hell did she even go?" Leon demands as he scanned the crowd for the young girl who was nowhere in sight.

"Guys over here come on the store is this way!" Esther calls waving to them from a corner by one of the clothes stores.

"We're coming Esther just wait a moment!" Abel calls as he and the others quickly hurry to her side and she takes off again.

"Great why is she in such a rush again I'm sure those three can handle whatever it is by themselves." Leon grumbles as he chases after Esther and they see a small liquor store come into view. "Is that the place?" He asks as he skids to a stop behind Esther.

"Yes it is but I guess they've already gone…which way did they go?" Esther asks herself looking around the building that had tree limbs, twigs, and leaves strewn out all over the place.

"Obviously and I'm going out a limb here when I say you have no idea which direction they went?" Leon bluntly states and shakes his head when Esther laughs nervously and looks around sheepishly. "Of course." He sighs as he rolls his eyes.

"Jeez quite lookin' so dang nervous Esther we can handle ourselves or did ya'll not know?" Alma jokingly asks as she emerges from the trees and shakes the twigs out of her hair.

"Quite jokin' around Alma we ain't go time for it." Tyran scolds as he and Scarlet appear behind Alma who had stuck her tongue out at him. "Real mature the only reason why we even came back was because ya'll would have better ways of tracking the dang vamps." He explains looking at the four with an annoyed expression.

"Tell me not to be rude look at you!" Alma argues looking up at him as he ignores her and walks over to Abel and the others. "Hey don't ignore me while I'm scolding ya!" She barks stomping over to him.

"Wait why would you go off when you have no idea where to go?" Leon demands in a baffled tone as he looks at the trio in complete and utter shock.

"Well…ya'll remember Eva right?" Alma asks her head tilted slightly.

"She was the supper friendly one right?" Leon asks one of his eyebrows raised in question.

"Yeah that's her well she said she could track so we began following the tracks but lost it and decided since ya'll have probably handled vamps before ya'll could track 'im better." Alma explains smiling brightly at the group.

"Wait so you have no idea where they've gone?" Leon asks smacking his face with his hand when Alma laughs nervously and scratches her head. "Unbelievable." He grunts as his head and shoulders slump.

"I know but will ya'll help us?" Alma asks in a pleading tone as she looks up at Leon and the others with a pitiful look on her face. "Please?" She asks again with her bottom lip pushed out and quivering slightly.

"Of course that's why we came after all." Abel says smiling a goofy smile as Alma jumps up and claps.

"Alright!" She happily cheers then looks around and notices Scarlet and Tyran face palm. "What? I can't be happy that they're helping us?" She asks in a mock hurt tone.

"Not that how you act sometimes I swear ya act like ya ain't ever had anyone say they'll help ya before." Tyran sighs as he shakes his head and Scarlet nods in agreement.

"Yeah seriously why do you do that?" Scarlet asks as she rolls her eyes and Alma thinks quietly a moment.

"I don't know…just because that's the answer ya'll are gonna get from me." Alma states with a curtly nod. "So how do ya'll plan on tracking 'em? Ooo does Tres have heat vision where he can track their heat signatures?" She asks with her hands clasped together and her eyes shining with curiosity.

"Uh…actually it is something like that." Abel answers as he slaps Tres on the back and smiles broadly. "He can see the trails that they left but we don't have much time since they vanish over time right Tres?" He says looking at Tres who had an annoyed look on his face.

"Positive we have approximately six hours before the tracks vanish and I am unable to follow them." Tres states in his usual monotone voice.

"Well then we better get a move on hadn't we?" Alma asks as she marches into the forest leaving the others completely forgetting that she wouldn't be able to track the vampires or Shadow.

"Since when can YOU track?" Scarlet asks in a rather loud tone smirking when her cousin freezes in mid-step and turns around laughing nervously. "Uh-huh that's what I thought you can't just go off without us you can't track worth a crap." She bluntly states as Alma's face reddens and she sends Scarlet death glares.

"Shut up I can track!" Alma shouts pointing an accusing finger at Scarlet. "…I jus' can't track that good." She adds on in a small voice.

"That's what I thought." Scarlet triumphantly says crossing her arms and holds her head high.

"Right come on we should really get going." Tyran says sending the two disapproving looks. "Um…Tres you'll lead the way." He says looking at Tres a moment then looks back to Alma and Scarlet who had started to argue about who could track better.

"Positive the heat signatures show that they went north." Tres says as he heads into the forest and the group follows leaving Alma and Scarlet behind.

"AH! WAIT DON'T LEAVE US!" Alma and Scarlet shout in unison as the run after the group to catch up.

"Hey Scarlet at least we were heading the right way earlier." Alma whispers to her cousin who nods in agreement.

… … …

"How long are they going to take?" Mickele groans his head against the tree as he stares up at the mid-afternoon sky.

"I don't know however long it takes to get to the Vatican from here." Ace answers in an annoyed tone her eyebrow twitches when Mickele lets out another loud whine and his head falls. "Will you quite acting like a little kid!" She finally shouts at him.

"NO!" Mickele shouts back then realizes what she said. "Wait did you just call me a little kid?" He asks her in confusion.

"Yes I do believe I did now stop acting like one and wait patiently like Eva." Ace says in a stern tone jerking her thumb behind to point to where Eva had been a few moments ago.

"Um…where is Eva?" Mickele asks looking over Ace's shoulder then looks at Ace with a smug expression. "Right…I'll like Eva and wait 'patiently' when she obviously isn't there." He says in a mocking tone as Ace looks behind her to find Eva but sees nothing.

"WHAT THE-WHERE'D SHE GO?" Ace shouts franticly looking around for her house guest.

"HI!" Eva happily greets as she hangs in front of Ace her feet gripping the tree branch. "Where you looking for me?" She asks in a sweet tone as she smiles brightly to the two.

"AHHH! EVA! WHEN DID YOU GET UP THERE?" Ace demands stomping her foot on the ground. "Get down from there your blood is going to rush to your head." She sternly says and points to the ground.

"Awww but it's so fun up here you and Mickele are upside down." Eva giggles but yelps when her feet lose their grip and she falls to the ground landing on her back. "Owwww that hurt." She whines in a loud voice.

"I wonder why." Ace dryly states as she rolls her eyes and shakes her head at Eva in annoyance. "Now why were you up there?" She asks looking at Eva who was slowly getting up and stretching as she dusted the dust off of her.

"I was seeing if I could see Alma and the others." Eva answers as she shakes her head and pulls out some loose twigs and leaves.

"And you think a small tree like that would let you see over all the other trees that are probably taller?" Ace asks in an unconvinced voice pointing to other taller trees and then the short tree that Eva had just been in.

"Well about that I just thought I could see them from any tree guess not oh well onto another taller tree!" Eva says as she begins to skip to another tree when Ace grabs her shirt.

"Oh no you don't you're waiting here with us for them." Ace bluntly says as she holds Eva's collar and ignores her whines.

"Why? It's no fun to just sit and wait!" Eva loudly complains and continues on for a few minutes.

"WILL YOU SHUT THE HELL UP?" Mickele finally snaps his eye twitching slightly as he glares at Eva. "I CAN'T IGNORE ALL OF YOUR DAMNED WHINING WHEN YOU'RE STANDING A FEW FEET AWAY!" He shouts at her and points accusingly to Eva.

"That wasn't whining that was complaining." Eva says in a matter of fact tone then smiles evilly. "This~ is~ whining~" She loudly whines in a high pitched tone making both Ace and Mickele cover their ears in attempts to shield her.

"SHUT UP!" Mickele shouts his hands over his ears.

"But I thought you wanted whining?" Eva whines again in the same tone.

"Will you please stop whining?" Mickele asks in a stressed polite tone with a forced twitchy smile on his face.

"Oh okay." Eva says smiling brightly at Mickele whose eyebrow had started to twitch and a vane appeared on his forehead.

_I will kill her if she EVER does anything like that again._ Mickele thinks with the forced smile still on his face. "Thank you." He forcefully says then turns around and sits on the ground a scowl on his face.

"Oh does the poor wittle Mikey, Mikey need a hug?" Eva coos as she walks over to Mickele and smiles a playful smile at him.

"NO!" Mickele shouts to her.

"It sounds like to me he does." Eva smiles and hugs him in a big bear hug catching him by surprise.

"WHAT THE FUCK?" Mickele demands at the top of his lungs as he struggles to break free from Eva's death grip. "LET ME THE FUCK GO!" He orders pushing on her arms trying to break free.

"You should watch your language little boy." Eva chastises shaking her head as she continues to hug Mickele.

"I'M NOT A LITTLE BOY NOW LET ME GO YOU FUCKING PSYCHO!" Mickele shouts again as he continues to struggle.

"I am not a psycho and I won't let you go until you say please and apologize and don't use any vulgar language while you say it." Eva says in a honey sweet voice.

_This chick may look sweet and innocent but she isn't she's a demon's spawn!_ Mickele thinks in shock as he stares at Eva with fear written all over his face. "Fine." He grunts a sour look on his face. "I'm sorry I called you a psycho now will you PLEASE let me go?" Mickele asks in a strained voice with a smile to match on his face.

"Of course thank you for asking so nicely Mikey." Eva kindly says as she releases Mickele and he falls flat on his butt.

"Thanks." He dryly says from his place on the ground. "Ace when do you think the others will be here?" He asks looking up at the bounty hunter who shrugged.

"Don't know so don't ask me." Ace answers in a bored tone when they hear the bushes rustle making her and Mickele get into fighting stances while Eva watches the rustling bushes with interest.

"Oof!" Alma grunts rolling out of the bushes with twigs in her hair and covered in dirt. "That was fun let's do it again!" She cheers as she stands up and begins to pull the twigs out and brush the dirt off.

"Heck no you just sent us tumbling down into the forest!" Tyran shouts at her as he trips over some loose dirt and lands on his face. "owwww…" He whines from the ground.

"Okay it is so not my fault that there was a spider web." Alma argues as she shivers. "And that was a MASSIVE spider!" She cries as she hides her eyes and shakes while Tyran just rolls his eyes in annoyance.

"Yes it was a harmless grand-daddy long leg." Tyran dryly says as he stands up and glares at Alma. "They can't even bite you their mouths are too small." He says in a bored tone as he pulls the twigs out of his hair. "I should really start to think about cutting my hair it's getting too long and curly." He growls as he shakes his head and a few leaves fall out.

"No you should let me straighten it!" Eva suddenly chirps an innocent smile spread on her face.

"What no!" Tyran barks as he defensively covers his head and glares at Eva then at Alma. "Alma did that one time…Never. Again." He coldly says to the two giving them death glares.

"Why? You looked so cute all the girls literally swarmed him when he stepped outside it was so funny he and Shadow were both swarmed!" Alma laughs ignoring Tyran's death glares and dodges his swipe.

"One of these days Alma I'm going to get you for that and we'll see how you like being attacked by crazy people." Tyran growls in a low threatening tone as Alma merely shrugs and ignores him. "We don't have time for this where are the others?" He asks when they hear an ear splitting scream then see Scarlet dash out of the forest shaking like a leaf with Abel and the others close behind.

"Let me guess you saw the spider too?" Alma asks in a surprised tone as she walks over and pats Scarlet on the back and falls over laughing when Scarlet nods yes.

"SHUT UP IT'S NOT FUNNY!" Scarlet, shouts at Alma who holds her hands up in surrender but continues to laugh anyways. "You're so irritating!" She shouts at Alma again then stomps off after Tres and the group that had left to continue tracking the vampires.

"HEY WAIT UP!" Alma shouts quickly running after them to catch up not noticing the vampire that had been watching the group hidden in the tree a toothy smile upon their face as they suddenly vanish.

… … …

"Come'n what'll be the harm in straightening yer hair Ty?" Alma whines as she holds the straightener up an innocent look on her face.

"NO THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL YOU ARE GONNA STRAIGHTEN MY HAIR!" Tyran shouts in annoyance at Alma.

"What's the matter Ty afraid that yer hair'll be ruined, yer such a girl." Shadow mocks in a playful tone as he sticks his tongue out at Tyran whose face had turned bright red.

"I'm not a girl now take it back!" Tyran threatens glaring at Shadow who merely shook his head and smiled a mischievous smile.

"Prove it." Shadow says a smug expression on his face watching as Tyran stiffens up and closes his eyes in frustration. _He's so about to give in I can tell. _He thinks as he silently laughs to himself.

"Fine." Tyran growls after a moment and takes a deep breath as Alma smiles a winning smile.

"Yay! Thank you Shadow yer the bestest friend ever!" Alma laughs giving Shadow a hug not seeing the blush appear on his face. "Come'n Ty this won't be bad hold still an' it'll be over before ya know it!" She cheerfully says as Tyran snickers and sits down in the chair.

"Aww look at the wittle Shadow he's blushing." Tyran teases him laughing when Shadow sends him a death glare but stops when Alma gently takes some of his hair and starts to straighten it. "I'm so gonna regret this later." He sighs glaring at the ground as Shadow watches and sits down. "Why're you staying don't you have more important things to do?" He grudgingly asks as Shadow shakes his head.

"Nope nothing could be more important than seeing you get yer hair straightened before I drag you to town to pick something up for Ignis." Shadow answers with a smile and waits patiently as Alma straightens Tyran's hair.

"Shadow ya know what ya should let me do to yer hair?" Alma suddenly pipes up as she straightens the last bit of Tyran's hair.

"What?" Shadow asks his head resting on his chin.

"You should le' me curl it." Alma says as she smiles a happy smile and he groans.

"It's one thing to straighten Ty's hair it's a whole different thing to curl my hair." Shadow says as she shakes his head.

"Awww but it'll be so cool I bet you'll be so cute!" Alma pleads as Shadow grumbles trying to not look at her and her pitiful face.

_Why does she always do that? Oh that's right because it always works! _Shadow thinks as he scowls and sighs knowing he'll lose. "Fine you can curl my hair." He grumbles as he quickly gets up and leaves with Tyran behind him.

"I don't like my hair straight it's too long." Tyran grumbles blowing his bangs out of his face as he gives Shadow a teasing smile. "Why don't ya tell 'er that ya like her?" He asks in a brotherly tone. "I mean it's obvious." He continues after Shadow gave him a surprised look.

"I don't like 'er." Shadow bluntly sates and starts to continue when he hears other voices begin to speak. "What Ty do you hear that?" He asks looking around for Tyran but saw nothing then suddenly opened his eyes to a dark room and the sound of two men talking outside the metal door.

"…I don't see why we went to all that trouble of capturing the kid I mean he barely put up a fight against the guy you saw." One of them says as the other agrees. "What could they possibly want with him anyways?" He asks in a muffled tone as Shadow tried to fight the drowsiness.

_Dang that stuff from earlier must've been real powerful I can barely hold my head up… _Shadow thinks as he lets out a yawn and continues to listen to the two. _Gotta try to stay awake. _He thinks shaking his head trying to clear it.

"…other one put up more of a fight but…boss…I don't know all the details." The other answers his voice fading in and out as Shadow closes his eyes and falls back asleep.

… … …

"Ooo is that it?" Alma asks quietly looking at the medium sized complex that was made entirely out of stone. "How're we gonna get it there're guards everywhere." She whispers pointing to the vampires waiting by each of the doors armed to the teeth.

"Don't ask stupid questions me and you could easily take them out." Scarlet, barks in a hushed tone as she smacks Alma in the back of the head.

"It wasn't a stupid question it was a legitimate question!" Alma quietly fires back as the have a stare down. "Besides I already knew that but I don't want to take out the guards I want to get inside so we can search for Shadow it'd be better in case he was in danger then we could help better than the others!" She continues in a hushed tone as Scarlet scowls but nods in agreement.

"I see yer point and it's not an insult we swear but we know more about Shadow's attacks so if he is in danger we could fight alongside him easier and without so much risk of accidently injuring one another." Scarlet, whispers to the group as Tyran face palms and shakes his head.

"Scarlet shut up yer making it seem like ya'll are insulting them just shut up." Tyran sighs in a soft tone. "What we mean is that since we known Shadow better we could help him out better than ya'll because ya'll haven't even seen him fight." He explains in a calm low tone as the others nod.

"That makes sense but who will handle the guards?" Esther asks in a quiet voice as Ace and Eva look at each other with broad smiles.

"Don't tell me that you guys already forgot what I was." Ace snickers in a hushed tone. "I'm a bounty hunter and Eva is an explorer I'm pretty sure we could both handle the guards right Eva?" She asks as Eva eagerly nods.

"Yeah I can be real good at being stealthy let us handle the guard then once you guys are in we'll look for the exits and find some way to tell you guys where they are." Eva explains to the group.

"Alright so now we have to come up with a plan." Alma says looking at the group then points to the complex. "First take out the guards and then squad one will move in and take out any other close range or oncoming enemies while squad two slips in and searches for Shadow." She continues as she peeks over her bush and looks at the guards.

"Okay sounds good but who makes up the squads?" Tyran asks looking at Alma with a blank expression.

"Uh…well Ace and Eva are part of the stealth force then me, Ty, Scarlet, an' Mike'll be squad two while ya'll are one is that alright?" Alma asks everyone no one noticed that the guards had vanished.

"Yeah…only one problem where are the guards?" Esther asks pointing to the now unguarded door way.

"You know I don't really like your plan girly so how about this one all of you come with us quietly and you won't be harmed." The guards' commander says holding a gun to the back of Alma's head.

_Guns…it just had to be guns didn't it? _Alma thinks glancing back at the vampire then looks around and sees the others. "Can't we talk 'bout this in a civilized manor?" She asks in a panicky voice.

"Yeah when all of you are restrained we will get them." The vampire sneers as the others work quickly and restrain everyone. "Now all of you are coming with us." He laughs nudging the back of Alma's head with the gun to get her to stand.

"You vamps always resort to violence don't ya'll?" Tyran asks in a bored tone as he gives the leader a cold look. "I mean ya'll are the 'top' species and yet you act like animals doesn't that make ya'll no better than the humans that you feed on?" He continues in a mocking tone.

"You shut up!" The vampire behind Tyran orders smacking the back of his head with the end of the gun making him fall to the ground. "What do you know your kind was at the top but then you fell and you fell hard?" They continue earning them death glares from all the other guardians.

"Oh we 'fell hard' did we then why is it that the humans STILL know NEAR to ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about our kind while oh they know all about you and your feeding habits and what's worse is that you feed off them!" Scarlet, shouts as Tyran gets back up.

"Yeah how low can you get feeding off of humans what's next?" Mickele taunts gaining all of the vampires' attention.

"Oh I know that next is gettin' yer butts kicked." Alma laughs and swiftly turns with a fireball in hand and unleashes it on the leader sending him flying. "Hasta la bye, bye blood sucker!" She waves as he lands in some trees with a massive crash.

"Yer turn." Tyran says as he grabs the vampire's gun and smashes its end into their face knocking them out cold. "Now how do you shoot this thing?" He asks no one in particular looking at the gun and accidently presses the trigger blowing off the vampire's head behind Esther. "Oh that's how." He says and quickly throws the gun down.

"Say uncle!" Scarlet orders as she chokes her captive with her restraints. "Say it or die." She growls in a low voice as the vampire's face turns blue.

"Uncle, uncle!" She gasps then falls to the ground panting when Scarlet releases her then falls on her face unconscious when Scarlet gives her quick chop to the neck.

"You guys took all the cool ways!" Mickele whines ducking his captive's blow and brings his knee up to their face as hard as he could shattering his fangs. "But at least I got a classic." He smirks but it quickly fades and he gulps when a hoard of vampires appear from the complex. "Um…uh guys!" He shakily says pointing to the hoard.

"Man just what we need come'n we have to leave now!" Tyran barks as he turns to run into the forest grabbing Tres and Leon when he rushes past them.

"Agreed, I don't feel like fighting off a hoard of blood sucking creatures today." Alma says as she picks up Eva and runs off with the other two behind her Mickele holding Abel and Scarlet with Esther, Ace had used her shadow knife and freed herself.

"AFTER THEM KILL THEM ALL!" The vampires shout as they break into a fast run and sprint after the group…

Three hours later

"That was NOT fun!" Alma pants as she leans against a tree catching her breath. "Not fun at all." She adds with a sigh as she begins to untie Eva.

"My back I feel like an old man." Tyran grumbles as he leans backwards and pops his spine. "I forget how fast vamps can run." He says as a miniature tornado forms around his hand and he cuts through Leon's and Tres' restraints. "There now what we know where they are but we can't do much since they know we know?" He asks as he sits on the ground crisscrossed and sighs.

"Well we could try again." Abel suggests as he rubs his wrist after Mickele freed them with a root. "…Except we need to find some way to not alert them that we are there or on our way." He adds on when Scarlet laughs. "What is it?" He asks giving her an odd look.

"Me and the others should attack while you guys sneak in during all the chaos and find Shadow it won't take long for us to create a big enough diversion to where we can also sneak in and meet up." Scarlet explains as the other three Guardians nod.

"Sounds good I'm all for it." Alma says as she adjusts her hat.

"I'm in the mood for vamp butt kicking." Tyran says as he pops his spine again then straightens up.

"Alright I get to whoop so vampire ass!" Mickele cheers as he jumps up with excitement.

"Wait don't we get a say in this?" Leon and Ace ask in unison looking at each other in bewilderment a moment.

"Yeah do ya'll wanna help with the distraction or the searching 'cause we'll meet up with ya'll later on." Alma says looking at the two.

"I don't mean that I mean with the planning you four against that many vampires be reasonable we know you guys are powerful but you can't be that powerful!" Leon argues as Tyran nods.

"I agree we by ourselves aren't that strong against vamps but we with a group of we could easily take on all those vamps." Tyran says in a calm tone. "But if ya'll wanna help us you can." He continues with a shrug.

"In fact it would be nice it would mean less time for us to create complete and total mayhem for those vampire son of a-" Mickele starts but Alma covers his mouth and gives him a cold glare. "Sorry." He says after she removes her hand.

"I think I'd be better with the distraction." Ace says and smirks. "It will give me a chance to try out some new moves I learned." She continues and holds up a blade made entirely of a black substance.

"Alright Ace, Ty, Mike, Scarlet, an' me are gonna be part of the distraction anyone else?" Alma asks and gives Tres a pleading look. "Do you wanna help I mean ya have good aim right?" She asks as Tres nods.

"Positive I will aid in the assistance of you and the other Guardians plus Ace." Tres answers in the usual monotone voice.

"Alright operation Shadow Rescue is set in motion phase one CHAOS!" Alma cheers as she does a victory pose and heads into the forest.

"Does she just come up with those names off the top of her head?" Ace asks aloud.

"I think so…you know I don't really know I sometimes wonder about my cousin." Scarlet answers with a shrug and quickly heads after Alma along with the others except for Tyran. "Come on you know that if you get there last you won't get much action." She calls over her shoulder as Tyran nods.

"I know don't worry 'bout me I'll catch up." Tyran answer as she nods and quickly runs to catch up. "Alright Esther spill." He coldly says giving the young surprised girl a stern parental look.

"What?" She asks in surprise taken back by his sudden demand.

"You heard me spill you were listening in on mine and Scar's private conversation what all did ya hear?" He demands again with the same look as Esther grows nervous under his stare. "Well?" He asks in a tone that sounded like a father waiting on their child to tell what they had done.

"…um…you had a bad feeling…" Esther answers nervously not making eye contact with the man and stiffens when she hears him let out a soft disappointed sigh.

"Is that all really yer not lying to me?" He asks in the same tone.

"I…" Esther begins uncertain of whether she wanted to tell him the rest of what she had heard. _Should I just tell him what if I don't and I lose his trust? Oh that means that I could put everything in danger by losing one Guardian's trust! _She thinks looking around nervously when she finally takes a deep breath. "I didn't mean to but it was just that I'm sorry Tyran I heard you and Scarlet speak of some orbs that you were looking for and that you had a bad feeling but other than that nothing!" She quickly and nervously says closing her eyes waiting for a scolding but only feels a hand rest gently on her head.

"Wasn't too hard was it?" Tyran asks smiling down at her his jade green eyes soft and gentle. "Ya know ya remind me of a cross between Alma and Scarlet mainly because you have Alma's curiosity, Scarlet's boldness, and both of their truthfulness." He says with a short laugh then quickly turns and leaves.

"Esther you were listening to one of their private conversations?" Abel asks her as she nods and laughs nervously. "You know better!" He scolds as she looks at the ground.

"I know but I couldn't help it." She says as the two priests shake their heads and enter the forest.

"Come on we have to be near to be able to tell when they have created enough chaos." Leon calls as Esther trails behind with Eva beside her.

"Don't worry about it Tyran wasn't mad and I think he gave you a compliment." Eva reassures Esther in a kind voice. "But you know what now I want to know how old he is he had the whole angry father thing down a moment ago." She says tapping her chin lightly.

"He doesn't look that old maybe early twenties or late teens." Esther says as she begins to wonder. _How they speak and everything else they tell us they are older than they look but how old could they be? _She thinks as they travel the rest of the way in companionable silence.

… … …

"Ugh…where am I?" Shadow softly asks slowly opening his eyes to meet a dark room. _What is this place? Agh my head…what happened oh yeah the vamps crud… _He thinks his head pounding as he slowly scans the dark room letting his eyes adjust. _I have to try to get out of here that's for sure. _He thinks moving his wrist but finds that he's bound to a stone wall with iron shackles. _NOT good crud they have my legs shackled too._ He thinks looking down to see his feet bound as well.

"Ah so you are finally awake?" A voice from one of the corners and Shadow's eyes widen slightly when the voice takes the shape of the elderly man from earlier.

"You! What do want with me? How'd you know about my race, who are you?" Shadow demands growling as he bares his canines.

"I do not think you are in any such position to be demanding answers for the questions you are asking." The man calmly states walking over to Shadow who continues to glare at him.

"I wouldn't get to close buddy I may not be able to move but I can still attack with my abilities." Shadow growls in a low threatening tone as the vampire stops.

"If there wasn't a way to stop you from using those abilities I would be scared but fortunately for us there are a few ways." The man says as he continues to walk toward a confused Shadow.

"What do you mean you can't 'stop' me from using 'em." Shadow growls closing his eyes to concentrate when a sharp pain shoots up his spine making him loose his concentration. "What?" He grunts through gritted teeth trying to hide his pain.

"Haha do you like it? Yes we know that you're kind has a weakness for this certain frequency of electricity it disrupts your concentration which we know is a major part of your needing to control an element very impressive but still not enough is it?" The man taunts grabbing Shadow's face his sharp nails dug into Shadow's skin.

"Oh so now there's a science to our powers is there I don't know whether to be flattered or insulted with the fact that they could break it down to something so simple." Shadow taunts his dark blue eyes burning as he glares at the man.

"You are very bold aren't you?" The man asks calmly as Shadow smirks. "That or you are extremely stupid." He spats as Shadow's smirk fades into a scowl and a low growl escapes his throat.

_What's this guy playing at? _Shadow thinks glaring at the man's back as he turned and headed toward the metal door. _Whatever it is I can't do much with these shackles on_... He thinks sighing softly as his head drops.

"I suggest you don't try anything Shadow this entire room is set with that same frequency you felt earlier and it increases ten-fold with each one of you attempts I'm afraid." The man says smirking as he looks at Shadow and opens the door allowing the room to be flooded by bright lights. "Aside from that you will need your strength when you meet with our leader." He says as he starts to exit the room.

_Curse him._ Shadow thinks closing his eyes and turns away from the blinding lights that quickly vanish with man and shutting door. "What now I'm practically useless with these shackles and then they go and have that little trick?" Shadow grumbles glaring at the ground. "YA'LL ARE A BUNCH A NO GOOD, CONIVING, MANUPILATIVE BLOOD SUCKING CREATURES THAT FEED ON HUMAN BLOOD, AN' YA'LL SMELL LIKE TRASH!" He shouts to no one in particular then sighs.

"That was pretty lame but do you feel any better now?" Night asks calmly as Shadow quickly looks around in surprise.

_Night? When did ya get-never mind can you find anyway outta these shackles without gettin' me shocked?_ Shadow thinks looking around the room. _I don't think I want to meet with their leader. _He thinks shivering slightly.

"I can try but no guarantees though okay?" Night answers as Shadow nods and looks up at the ceiling that had a small window in front of him with stars shining through it.

"It's already night time?" Shadow asks aloud and sighs when Night doesn't answer back. "Hey Night how long was I out?" He asks lowering his head back to the stone floor.

"About twelve hours maybe more I wasn't really paying attention." Night answers as he materializes above the rafters out of Shadow's view.

"WHAT?" Shadow shouts in surprise his head quickly rises up to where he heard Night's answer.

"I'm sure you heard me but you should keep it down don't need those methuselahs coming in here and snooping around when you can't even hurt a fly." Night says glancing down at Shadow who had lowered his head back down.

"Shut up…" Shadow grumbles hanging his head and stares at the ground. "This is so not my day." He sighs heavily.

_**Shadow: I agree with me you made it the worst day ever!**_

_**Author: No its not believe me the worst is yet to come!**_

_**Shadow: WHAT?**_

_**Author: Ciao people hope you liked!**_

_**Shadow: NO! NO CIAO WHAT DO YOU MEAN?**_

_**Author: Bye! End!**_


	20. Chapter 20

**Author: Ha didn't take me two weeks this time!**

**Mickele: Watch it'll take you a month for the next chapter.**

**Author: Oh you are so kind.**

**Mickele: Thanks anyways enjoy the story people!**

**Author: That's my line!**

**Mickele: So what I said it get over it.**

**Author: You're so harsh…**

**Mickele: Uh huh whatever hope you guys like seeing Shadow get tortured.**

**Shadow: MICKELE SHUT UP!**

**Mickele: Gotta go!**

Chapter 20

"Shadow…are you okay?" Night asks in a concerned tone looking down at Shadow who shook his head.

"If okay means that one of the strongest Guardians is unable to even hurt a stinking fly then yeah I'm perfect!" Shadow retorts in a sarcastic voice followed by a low growl.

"Calm down Shadow it could be worse." Night tries to reassure him and smiles when he notices a silver knob on one of the rafters with a small wire leading to one of Shadow's shackles. "This could be it." He whispers as he scoots closer to the knob and barely touches when he notices a spark zoom down the wire and head toward Shadow all in less than half a second too late to warn Shadow. "Or not…" He says and hangs his head.

"AHHHH!" Shadow cries out in pain as electricity suddenly shoots throughout his body. "NIGHT WHAT DID YOU DO?" He demands and cries out again. _They weren't kidding when they said it'd get ten times stronger with every attempt…it burns like heck! _Shadow thinks as the pain finally starts to subside but his body continues to tremble from the shock.

"Well I found one of the electrical wires and I thought that it was maybe a way to open the shackle." Night says as Shadow tries to catch his breath.

"WELL IT DIDN'T WORK DID IT?" Shadow demands after a moment but then winces in pain and sighs. "Sorry but that hurt next time you see another wire DON'T touch it!" He says taking another deep breath.

"Dually noted I'll keep that in mind next time I see a silver knob." Night says when he peers past the rafters and sees two vampires rushing to the door and looks down to see Shadow still trying to recover from the shock. "Shadow this may not be something you want to hear but there are vampires coming to probably see why you were screaming." He warns as Shadow sends him a death glare.

"I really hate you right now." Shadow coldly says and winces when the two vampires open the door and rush in looking around wildly. "You guys missed all the action of me being STUPID enough to try to get this shackle off." He taunts glaring up at the rafters when he said stupid.

"That wasn't why we came in here, though it would have been a bonus we heard you shouting at someone, where are they?" One of the vampires demands as they scan the room and look up to the rafters in time to see Night's foot before he could move it. "Up there!" He shouts pointing to the rafters.

"What do you mean 'up there' there's nuttin up there's jus' a bunch of rafters." Shadow says looking up to the rafters. "I don't see anything 'cept a couple of idiots." He states in a bored tone as he looks away.

"What was that? Give me the spear." The first vampire barks grabbing the other's spear and quickly takes aim to the silver knob that was barely visible. "Try this you've already been shocked twice so let's make it three for that smart remark." He sneers tossing the spear and laughing when it barely skims the knob.

_Crud…me and my big mouth… _Shadow thinks as the shock tears through his body and he grits his teeth.

"What no cries like last time or was because you didn't have to be tough for on lookers?" The vampire sneers smiling a toothy smile as Shadow retrains himself from crying out.

_Like I'm gonna show that I'm in pain with these two blood suckers watching. _Shadow thinks as he forces a smile on his face. "Doesn't hurt at all I've had worse from training with Bolt." He taunts in a strained voice trying to hide his pain when the shocks suddenly stop. "Whoa look at all the bright colors." He says as he falls asleep.

"Did he just…we didn't even get to hear him cry in terror come on better get out of here before Andrew comes." The second one says turning to leave when they see Night standing there a cold look on his face.

"What? Scared of the big old vampire?" Night asks looking at the two. "That 'Andrew' is him right the old one that kidnapped Shadow." He states as the two vampires look at each other in surprise then look at Night in anger.

"Who are you?" The first one, demands as he picks up the spear and holds it up to Night who just gave him a cold look that sent shivers down his spine. "Answer!" He orders as he began to shake with fear.

"No, I don't answer to pathetic monsters that purposely harm someone because they were being a smart-aleck." Night says then before either have the time to blink he vanishes and reappears behind them. "What the-GAH!" He coughs when Night's palm slams into his chin and sends him flying into the wall.

"What are you?" The second one demands picking up the first's spear and charges at Night who easily leaps into the air and lands on the spear's tip.

"Hm, I told you I don't answer to you two now beat it." Night barks as he vanishes off the spear and reappears in front of the second and kicks him in the stomach sending him flying into the first one.

"Whatever you are don't think you will be able to get away with this little stunt!" The first one barks as he and the second rise then quickly leave the room slamming the door behind them as Night scoffs and turns toward Shadow.

"Dang used up quite a bit of energy actually fighting them…Shadow wake up come on you need to wake up." Night says as he starts to pat Shadow's face trying to wake him up. "Shadow." He sternly says and stops when Shadow's mouth twitches.

"What who're you?" Shadow asks as he opens his eyes and catches a brief glimpse of Night with blurry vision. "Ow my body I feel terrible…when will I learn to shut my big mouth?" He asks hanging his head low as Night smiles and vanishes.

"Don't ask me I don't know where you get your mouth from." Night says as he reappears on top of the rafters and examines the silver knob closely. _These knobs control the electricity and when touched directly they send it to the shackles shocking Shadow but how do they shock him when he uses his powers some sort of sensor maybe? _He thinks looking at the thin wire that was no thicker than a strand of hair then starts to look at the top of the roof trying to find a sensor or anything that would alert the knob that Shadow was trying to use his powers.

"Agh I have such a head-ache I never have head-aches I wanna aspirin!" Shadow whines loudly then sighs. "I don't like playing hostage if I were Bolt I could put up with the shocks and be outta here in no time flat." He growls and wiggles his wrists again in the shackles.

"That's sad because you see you are very good at it a natural they might say my boy." Andrew says as he opens the door and the room becomes flooded with light.

"I-you know what never mind I ain't gettin' shocked." Shadow scoffs blinking a few times to adjust to the sudden brightness. _I really hate this guy he's purposely trying to get me to say something so he can shock me sick psycho… _Shadow thinks suppressing a growl.

"My, it takes you a little but you do learn new things after a few times don't you my boy?" Andrew asks smirking as Shadow starts to retort but stops. "Though I would have much more fun irritating you I'm afraid our leader wishes to speak with you he has a proposition for you." He explains taking out a collar as he walks toward Shadow.

"What? You listen here vamp I ain't listening to anything yer stinking leader has to say!" Shadow barks angrily as his eyes blaze with hatred. "Don't you dare put that thing on me, I ain't a dog!" He shouts glaring at the collar. _The shackles are already bad enough I am not walking around with a shock collar around my neck like some feral dog! _He thinks as he tries to find a way out of the shackles.

"Now, now hold still so I can put this on and we won't have to give you another shock." Andrew says as Shadow freezes just a moment long enough for him to snap the collar on and step back to avoid Shadow's head butt.

_Alma would be laughing at me right now this is so degrading… _Shadow thinks glumly and fails to notice the shackles open making him fall flat on his face. "Oww…okay just what exactly do you do now?" He asks standing up and glares up at Andrew. _Man and thought Ignis was tall now I know how Alma feels when she's mad at me and has to glare up. I'm never making fun of her about it again…okay maybe I will still tease her about it. _He thinks smiling to himself.

"Now we go and speak with our leader come along my boy." Andrew says as he heads toward the door and Shadow grudgingly follows.

_What's this dude's problem with calling me "my boy"? It's kind of odd. _Shadow thinks glaring at Andrew's back as the two walk down a hall and through open courtyard and Shadow notices the trees surrounding the complex.

"Treatin' me like a dang dog, I ain't no dang dog." Shadow grumbles under his breath as he follows Andrew giving everyone he passes death glares. "An' quite calling me 'my boy' I'm not yer boy!" He barks to Andrew who merely glances over his shoulder and nods with a smile. _If I were a dog I'd of already bitten yer dang hand. _He mentally adds on as he glares at Andrew's back when he remembers that Andrew had mentioned his boss having a proposition for him. _That's never good…how can I get out of here? _He thinks with growing nervousness.

… … …

"Okay how should we warn those guys anyways?" Alma asks as the two groups meet up and start to discuss their plans in further detail.

"When they see a clearing we can't plan everything you know that." Scarlet bluntly states as she looks puts her arms behind her head.

"That could be the best option what do you guys think?" Alma asks the other group.

"I think it would be best…then you can follow us whenever you would like." Abel says as Leon and Esther nod in agreement and Eva suddenly jumps down from one of the trees.

"You guys should climb up onto these trees you can see the entire building from up there!" She exclaims and points to the top of the tree. "It's so awesome!" She continues and starts to jump up and down smiling brightly. "Oh guess what I also saw this real old vampire walk by and head toward a room he was holding something looked like a collar but I wasn't sure." She continues with a shrug and heads back toward the tree. "Anyways later tell me when we're leaving I want to get a better look at the view." She says as she starts climbing back up and is gone in a few seconds leaving the others behind.

"A collar?" Alma asks as she looks at Mickele who shrugs and she taps her chin in thought. "Ya'll think it's for Shadow?" She asks her head tilted to the side as she thinks.

"Could be but why a collar wouldn't chaining him down then tying him up be more effective than a collar and even then they shouldn't need those if he's still knocked out right?" Mickele asks as Alma thinks and nods.

"Yeah but it could be you know a bomb or something else to restrain him without having to keep him all chained up." She says as he nods and the two continue talking of the possibilities as to what the collar could be.

"Enough we'll be able to find out later right now we don't have time look there are already vamps coming this way." Tyran barks pointing to a group of vampires that were heading their way but hadn't seen the group yet.

"Right phase one: Chaos is now in action…go." Alma softly orders as her and the others with her sneak behind the vampires and quickly take them out. "Now we go to the complex to begin the distraction!" She says as she and the others head into the forest.

"Later guys see you when we get in." Ace says as she and the others vanish into the forest…

"Okay so who wants to start the battle first?" Scarlet asks as she crouches behind a bush and looks at the complex with the others behind her. "Alma?" She asks looking back at her cousin over her shoulder.

"Nope not me I prefer to avoid battle, not start it." Alma answers as Scarlet sighs and looks at Tyran.

"Uh-uh don't even think about it." He answers when she silently curses and looks at Ace who shakes her head as an answer then finally Scarlet looks toward Mickele.

"I could…um use a root to attack?" Mickele asks in an uncertain tone as Scarlet face palms and shakes her head.

"No we need to attack! Attack, you know go out in the open and fight so we can create a diversion for the others!" Scarlet, barks in a quiet voice as she pulls her hair slightly and glares at Alma. "This was your plan so you should begin it!" She orders as Alma shakes her head in disagreement.

"How about we settle this like adults rock, paper, scissors?" Alma triumphantly says as everyone in the group sighs. "That or we could draw straws well twigs to settle it." She says as she picks up a random handful of twigs as and the others groan.

"Both those ways are so stupid!" Mickele barks in irritation then sighs. "I can't believe it let's just go with rock, paper, scissors I don't want to do the sticks I always end up with the one that makes me go first." He groans as the others nod.

"Okay so the looser goes first!" Alma says and they start the game.

"Rock, paper, scissors!" They all shout in unison and see that everyone chose paper.

"This is going to take a while." Ace groans and they start again.

… … …

"Now my boy if you will wait here our leader William will be with you shortly." Andrew says as Shadow rolls his eyes and looks at the only seat in the room skeptically.

"Like I have a choice." Shadow grumbles under his breath after Andrew leaves and looks around a moment. "I don't like this not one bit." He growls glaring at the chair that seemed to be mocking him as it stood alone there in the room he starts looking at the shelves some filled with books others filled with glasses but most were taken up with wines. _Grand Mike would love it here. _He thinks with a sigh and continues to scan the stone room.

"I don't blame you young Shadow I am very sorry for how my friends have treated you I told them that it would not be necessary to put that collar on you if they would have just told you that I wished to speak with you." A tall man formally says as he walks in his short brown hair expertly brushed back as he entered the room and bowed to Shadow.

"…don't bet on it this collar and those shackles may have been the smartest and safest thing for you and your friends." Shadow coldly answers not even trying to disguise the disgust in his voice.

"Oh I am sorry to hear that my name is William by the way." William says in the same formal tone and holds out a hand to Shadow.

"Thanks but no thanks pal." Shadow growls from his position on the floor as William shrugs and sits down in the lone chair. _Night do you see any way for me to escape this place? _He thinks looking around for any other openings aside from the door behind him.

"None that I can see Shadow just wait see what he has to say and when he least expects it make a break for the door." Night answers as Shadow nods.

"Now Shadow I would like to-" William begins but Shadow stops him.

"Cut to the chase I ain't in the mood why did you kidnap me?" Shadow boldly demands glaring at the shocked William.

"I told you before Shadow that I did not wish to get you here by such rough and savage methods I just wanted to talk but you are a very hard man to find." William answers as he stands up and walks over to one of the shelves and pulls out a bottle of wine. "This here is around eighty years old would you like a drink?" He asks holding the bottle in Shadow's direction.

_Sure he didn't want me kidnapped…liar. _Shadow thinks as he rolls his eyes in annoyance. "No thanks I don't drink." He answers with a forced smile as William shrugs and grabs a glass from a nearby shelf and pours him a glass.

"Are you sure it is a very good wine not too strong and not too sweet or bitter." William offers again as Shadow watches him drink it carefully.

"Don't tell me you're seriously thinking about having a drink?" Night asks in a baffled voice as Shadow shakes his head.

"No thanks like I said I don't drink but I will tell you one thing I would like." Shadow says as William looks at him a moment an eyebrow raised for Shadow to continue. "I'd like this collar off I don't like feeling like a pet." He says as William smiles and laughs. "What?" He asks not really wanting that sort of reaction.

"You are funny but you told me yourself that, that collar and shackles are perhaps the smartest thing why would I take them off when it would give you a chance to attack me, I am sorry to disappoint you Shadow that I do indeed have intellect." William says in a light tone with a smile on his face as Shadow inwardly curses.

"It's not that I just don't like the collar shackles I could deal with but a collar makes me feel like a pet which I'm not." Shadow explains in a calm voice as William stops laughing and thinks a moment then nods in agreement.

"I will take the collar off after you have listened to my proposal is that a deal Shadow?" William asks as he sets the glass down on the chair and walks over to Shadow who was baffled.

"Wait you mean if I listen to what you have to say you'll jus' take the collar off no catch, no underhand way to keep me here?" Shadow asks in surprise. _Is this guy serious? _He thinks looking around for something that could be trap.

"Shadow this is my own personal area there would be no traps and I do not like to deal dirty what I say is what you get so what do you say listen to my humble proposition and you get that wretched collar off I will not even keep you here while I wait on an answer you may leave right then no one will stop you and you can come back anytime you want with your answer." William says his hand extended to Shadow who was still in shock.

"I don't know about you Shadow but I feel like this guy is telling the truth." Night bluntly says from his position on the pillar about Shadow and Williams' heads.

_I know that's why I don't believe him! It's too good to be true! _Shadow thinks when William coughs bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Of course there is one thing I would like in exchange." William says as Night inwardly laughs and Shadow sighs.

"So there is something else huh what is it?" Shadow asks rolling his eyes as William smiles and gestures to the wine bottle.

"I would like you to have a few drinks with me so we may discuss the details of my proposition further." William says as Night quickly vanishes and falls off the pillar and Shadow stares at him mouth a jar.

"…Okay…I don't see the harm in it…" Shadow says as he stands up and William pushes him to the side of the chair and quickly goes off to a dark corner and comes back with another chair. _I'm already regretting this. _Shadow thinks as he eyes the chair that looked harmless enough but Shadow still glared at it with suspicion.

"HAHA!" Night laughs as he hides behind a pillar and becomes visible. "All the guy wants is a drink? Seriously no way! That's too funny!" He laughs as Shadow flushes red and continues to glare at the chair.

"Don't worry Shadow the chair does not bite I will sit in it while you sit in mine if you are so intent on thinking that I have somehow turned it into a weapon." William says as he sits down in the chair and Shadow looks at his then shakes his head.

"No I'll take that chair…" Shadow says as he walks over to the chair and cautiously sits in it after William got up and walked over to a shelf and grabbed another wine glass.

"Now onto a drink yes?" William asks as he walks back over and sits down in his seat handing the glass to Shadow who stares at it. "What have you never seen a wine glass Shadow?" He asks in a light joking tone as Shadow looks up and nods his head.

"I've seen them plenty of times I was just-um just…" Shadow stammers trying to think of an answer.

"You were just making sure that there was nothing on it that would harm you or put you too sleep am I right?" William asks with a thin eyebrow raised as Shadow's head droops and he nods.

_How'd he know? Was it that obvious? _Shadow thinks his head drooping. "Yeah…listen William you're really nice and all but you're 'friends' aren't so I'm kind of being cautious in case all this is an act and you're actually not really this nice!" He sincerely says and notices William lower his head. "I'm really sorry but they didn't make that good of a first impression and I can't help it." He continues in an apologetic tone. _Why am I even saying sorry he's a vampire for crying out loud but he seems different than the others…agh why me? Why do I get stuck with a nice vamp after being tortured with psychos? _He thinks and mentally starts pulling at his hair.

"I understand Shadow what is that look on your face for did you think I was mad or sad?" William asks in a cheerful tone as he raises his head up and laughs a hearty laugh. "I do not blame you I know how Andrew and the others are in fact I would be worried if you trusted me so quickly!" He continues as Shadow falls out of his chair in surprised. "Shadow?" He asks getting up from his chair and looks at Shadow with a concerned look when he sees Shadow laying on the ground twitching in shock.

_You've got to be kidding me here I was feeling terrible and he-he was laughing I can't believe I was worried about it AGH I feel so stupid! _Shadow thinks as he recovers from his shock and raises up his eyebrow still twitching slightly. "I'm fine." He manages to say as he stands up and brushes himself off. "Can we just get on with the talks?" He asks hiding his irritation as he sits back down. _I can't believe this guy I bet he did that on purpose. _He thinks as he watches William continue to quietly laugh to himself.

… … …

"Dang it someone lose already!" Scarlet shouts in frustration as she and the others start another round this was the twentieth time and this time they had all chosen paper.

"I know! Come'n I'm about to tell everyone what I'm going to choose next if someone doesn't lose soon!" Alma barks as they each raise their hands and start another round. _This always happens when we play rock, paper, scissors! Next time I don't care what anyone says we're going with the sticks! _She thinks in annoyance.

"Rock, paper, scissors!" They all shout in unison and see that Alma and Ace had chosen rock while the others chose paper.

"ALRIGHT I DON'T HAVE TO GO!" They cheer in unison and jump up then quickly sit back down and watch the game continue.

"Rock, paper, scissors!" All the others shout in unison each ending up with rock followed by a chorus of groans. "Rock, paper, scissors!" The shout again this time Tyran had won with paper while the others played rock.

"I'm outta here." Tyran growls and sits by Alma and Ace. "Finally just three left then we can get this over with." He sighs as he leans against the tree a content smile on his face.

"HAHA! I win you can go suck it Mickele!" Scarlet, laughs in triumph.

"NO! I won too! Tres is the one that lost!" Mickele shouts as he points to Tres who was looking at his fist and sighed.

"Haha what do you know Mike doesn't have such bad luck after all?" Tyran mocks as he stands up and pats Mickele on the back.

"Shut up Ty!" Mickele shouts then stands up. "Alright Tres you lost you go first big guy." He says as he pats Tres on the back.

"Nah come'n Mike, don't make him go it won't be fair, you're better at surprise attacks." Tyran laughs as Mickele scowls and grumbles under his breath.

"If I was going to end up going why didn't you guys just say so?" Mickele barks in annoyance.

"Well we thought you'd lose I mean you usually do so it was safe to assume." Alma says as she shrugs he shoulders and Mickele's head falls.

"Fine but I hope you guys are real jerks." Mickele barks as he looks at the complex and sighs. "Here goes nothing so I just start it then you guys follow until there's like this massive confusion and then, the others slip in then we follow?" He asks and groans when the others nod. "Man." He sighs then jumps up and heads toward the complex. "Impetum Radices!" He growls under his breath when suddenly roots appear from everywhere and attack the complex.

"Haha what a way to initiate an attack make the building be overrun by roots so they scatter." Tyran laughs as he follows Mickele and blows all the vampires down the hill making them topple into one another. "Like the domino effect only not so much one starting it but many." He laughs as the others follow.

"You look like yer having fun Ty." Alma says as she runs alongside him and sends a wave of flames down the hill that burned any vampires unlucky enough to be caught by it.

"You bet this is the first battle I've had since I can remember!" Tyran says then looks at her and notices a concerned look. "Don't worry 'bout me Alma I'll be fine it's Mickele you should be worried about he still hasn't mastered his powers." He says and points to Mickele who was running from a hoard of vampires.

"AHHH!" Mickele shouts then jumps up as a slab of rock slams into the vampires. "NEVER MIND I GOT IT UNDER CONTROL!" He shouts and smiles at the two then takes off again as another group of vampires chase after him. _Why me? _He thinks running from the vampires and dodges their attacks.

"ARE YOU TRYING TO GET EVERY VAMP THERE IS TO CHASE AFTER YOU?" Scarlet demands as she jumps into the air and unleashes a massive blizzard onto the entire compound then it stops just as fast as it started. "Glacies Draco!" She shouts and all the snow and ice meld together and take the shape of a massive dragon made that glistened in the early evening light.

"I'm going to get her for that." Alma growls as she shivers from the sudden burst of cold and glares at her cousin. _I hate it when she does that and I'm stuck without warning then I'm frozen for like five minutes! _She thinks with a low growl and tries to warm herself up by forming a fire ball in her hands.

"These guys are too easy they're dropping like flies." Ace laughs as he vanishes from view than reappears behind a group of vampires and cuts them all in half with her shadow blade. "See told you too easy we'd be finished in no time but they have so many numbers it's just insane!" She sighs and dodges another vampire's attack then strikes and kills them.

"Positive their numbers do not seem to be lowering at a fast rate." Tres comments as he shoots a group of vampires and reloads.

… … …

"So to put how my offer is in simple terms it goes like this if your kind helps us then we will help you." William says as he pours Shadow a glass of wine.

"I wanna hear the details first and even then I doubt I'll help ya." Shadow says as he sniffs the wine and takes sip. "How old is this wine again?" He asks swallowing a few times trying to moisten his throat that had gone dry.

"I believe it is over eighty years old. Why do you ask is it not good?" William asks as Shadow shakes his head and smiles.

"No it's good but a bit dry." Shadow answers with a hoarse voice as William laughs and nods. _Did I say something funny? _He thinks in confusion.

"I understand that is because you sipped it you do not sip this wine you drink it then it does not dry out your throat." William explains as Shadow looks at the glass and frowns. William's expression was growing more and more concerned as he watched Shadow sit there in silence is about to speak when hears a slight thud from far away making him forget about Shadow a moment and look to the direction he had heard it come from.

_But I don't want to drink otherwise I'm going to be all loopy unless I drink like six bottles of this stuff…but I really want this stupid shock collar off…one glass shouldn't hurt. _Shadow thinks weighing his options when he silently comes to a conclusion and nods his head. _After we finish the talks I'll drink it that way I'll have time before I feel sick…I think. _He thinks then looks at William and smiles not noticing his distant look. "You know what how about we drink after you tell me what exactly it is you want huh?" Shadow asks as William looks back at him and nods.

"Yes I forgot that you told me that you do not drink." William says in a polite voice concluding that Shadow hadn't heard the noise. "Anyways yes down to business I know that you and your friends own a wide range of businesses including many that are within the Empire is that correct?" He asks as Shadow nods and looks back at his drink not noticing William look at the collar with sympathy.

"Yeah we do but we don't really own any there that involve us actually affiliating with the vampires, especially with the fact that they do not seem to fond of us." Shadow answers as he absent mindedly twist his cup causing the dark liquid to swirl. _How much does this guy know I know for a fact that we've never had a business that involved meeting vampires other than the Empress and even then rarely did we see her! _Shadow thinks in shock but quickly hides it.

"Yes I can see that, some of my kind are not too pleased with the fact that you and your friends did not fight at all in the war. You chose neither the humans nor the Methuselahs that they fought." William says as he takes another drink of his wine and waits for Shadow to answer.

"Yes well we did not see a point in the war and we did not wish to show ourselves since we have kept our kind hidden for quite some time and did not want to blow it just because of some war." Shadow answers then sighs. "Is that all you want our kind to help you but for what purpose we have small numbers and would not be of much use since we prefer to remain secret." He explains as he looks at William.

"Yes, yes I know that, but you see we need you I do not wish for there to be another war and I am almost certain that you are the same because another war would be costly to your kind which is already dwindling as it was." William explains and notices Shadow tense up. "I do not mean to insult you Shadow but you're kind could be a medium of sorts working with both humans and Methuselahs and we could avoid another war." He says and looks away when he hears another large thud and the sound of feet running.

"What do you mean a medium?" Shadow asks in confusion when he hears the faint sound of a battle. _Huh…why would there be a battle are they perhaps practicing or is it something else? _He thinks but ignores the sounds and tries to continue on with the discussion.

"Just that the Vatican is trying to keep the peace but they cannot do it alone and I wish for you too perhaps step in and be the peace keepers of sorts I don't mean coming out into the open but if you were to perhaps make smaller changes like having shops in areas where we Methuselahs are and just so that there is a chance of peace." William explains as he looks at Shadow with a pleading expression.

_Is this guy serious you can't just make there be peace like that and that could endanger some of my people…but if we do perhaps do business with the two kinds we could show they have more in common than they think and there might be more that lean toward peace rather than war…and we can't have another one it was during that time that many of our kind and the Destroyers died… _Shadow thinks as he gets lost in thought.

"Shadow?" William asks as Shadow looks up at him snapping out of his thoughts. "What do you think do you think that there is a chance that it would work?" He asks as Shadow shakes his head.

"No there could never be peace between the two kinds there are too many differences and there natures don't help either." Shadow coldly answers not reacting when William's head and shoulder droop. "But…it would help the tensions. Having a single company on both sides would show that there could be peace and there may be more that lean toward it and that may discourage war." He continues then holds his cup up and drinks it. "We're finished right?" He says as he sets the empty glass down and wipes the rest of the wine off with his sleeve. "I mean not much else but I have to talk with the others t-" He begins but stops when the door slams open and Andrew storms in.

"Andrew what is the matter?" William asks standing up as Andrew glares at Shadow and points an accusing finger at him.

"YOU, YOU FILTHY BRAT YOUR FRIENDS ARE ATTACKING AND SLAUGHTERING OUR MEN WITHOUT A SECOND THOUGHT!" Andrew shouts as Shadow and William both gasp in shock.

"Whoa, really you mean they're really here?" Shadow asks being the first to recover and jumps out of his seat. "They must have thought you-AGH!" He gags falling to the ground when the electricity courses through his body. _Okay I know I didn't deserve this stupid shock! _He thinks as the electricity continues to make its course over and over.

"Andrew why did you-he was going to explain?" William asks as he shakes his head at Andrew and rubs his forehead.

"I'm sorry William but we can't risk the fact that he could have known about this somehow." Andrew says as he quickly rushes past William and picks Shadow up and slings him over his shoulder. "I am going to take him back to his cell stay here so they do not injure you." He says leaving before William can protest and locks the door from the outside.

"Andrew what am I going to do with you?" William sighs seeing no point in trying to escape and sits in his chair with a heavy sigh. "You are only making it worse by shocking him and putting him in a cell." He mumbles and fills up his cup once more.

"Ack-can't…breathe shut off the-ugh….electricity!" Shadow barks through gags as his body continues to shake from the volts. _This hurts like heck! The next time someone gets shocked I swear I won't laugh because this hurts! _He thinks as he continues to shake.

"Shut up!" Andrew barks as he reaches Shadow's cell and quickly puts him back in the shackles and finally shuts the shock collar off. "Let's see how you escape with that collar still on you." He sneers and leaves the room with a temporarily paralyzed Shadow whose body was still trembling from the shocks.

_Seriously he's gonna leave the stupid collar on with shackles on me too? Now that's just cruel I officially like William more than Andrew. _Shadow thinks then starts to feel woozy. _Man I just HAD to drink that wine, didn't I? _He thinks as he hangs his head and scolds himself.

… … …

"Wow listen to them go." Eva says as she and the others sit in waiting far from the battle. "You know what I think I'm glad that I'm not with that group it sounds like a mad house!" She comments and looks at the others who nod.

"Yeah, you think they're alright?" Esther asks as she looks toward the battle.

"I'm sure they are!" Eva says then stands up. "Come on I think we can go now." She says as she begins to walk off toward the complex.

"Right come on the sooner we get this done the sooner we go home." Leon grumbles as he and the others follow Eva. They walked in silence for about five minutes until they reached the battle zone and saw the others fighting.

"Hey guys!" Alma chirps as she hangs upside from a branch. "Bout time ya'll got here." She continues and drops to the ground.

"Why aren't you fighting?" Abel asks and notices that the only two he actually saw fighting were Tres and Ace. "And where are the others?" He asks in growing concern.

"Uh…well you see it's a tactic make them think we retreated then when all of their focus is on the other two BANG! We come in and take 'em out in one swoop that'll give ya'll enough time to get through unnoticed." Alma explains then turns toward the battle and sees the two nearly entirely surrounded. "Later remember as soon as ya'll see an opening take it you may not get another." She says and then she's gone.

"Well I guess we-" Abel begins but is cut off by a massive fiery explosion that blows nearly all the vampires away while leaving the two combatants in the center unharmed. "Let's go now shall we!" He quickly chirps as the others nod and head down the hill while the vampires are dazed and scattered.

**Shadow: I like William a heck of a lot better than Andrew.**

**Author: I kind of figured you would.**

**Shadow: But seriously I drink one glass of wine and I get drunk what happened to me being able to keep up with Tyran?**

**Author: You don't get drunk when you drink a lot you get drunk when you only drink a little.**

**Tyran: Isn't that a bit backwards?**

**Author:…yeah don't ask me why I made it like that.**

**Shadow: You suck.**

**Author: I'm being harassed by my characters.**

**Shadow: YOU TORTURE ME IN THE STORY AND HAVE A SHOCK COLLAR ON ME I MEAN SERIOUSLY DO I LOOK LIKE A DOG?**

**Author: Do you really want me to answer that?**

**Shadow:…no.**

**Author: Good. Anyways hope you guys liked this chapter!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Shadow: See told you it'd be more than two weeks.**

**Author: -_- Shut up.**

**Shadow: Ha I win well enjoy. Hey by the way when do I see the others?**

**Author: You'll see them when I write it oh and I do not own any of the Trinity Blood characters.**

**Shadow: You tend to forget that lil' bit often don't ya?**

**Author: Be quiet Shadow well enjoy!**

**Chapter 21**

"We made it!" Eva cheers after they enter the complex and find it entirely empty. "Now what, we have no idea where Shadow could be in this massive place?" She asks as the others shrug.

"Ya'll may need to split up." Tyran says suddenly appearing in the doorway. "Like now go in small groups so ya'll will be harder to track." He barks as he blows a few vampires away. "Yer gonna need to find another way out too." He says as he vanishes and a slab of earth blocks the doorway.

"WHAT? DID HE JUST TRAP US IN HERE?" Leon shouts in rage his eyebrow twitching and a vain pulsing on his head.

"I think he did that so no vampires would know we were in here." Esther says and looks around at the deserted building its stone pillars looming over them like hungry monsters. "I think we should really get to looking, this place is kind of creeping me out." She says huddling closer to Abel and the others.

"I agree how should we split up?" Abel asks as he looks around at the massive building and notices all the paintings on the walls and tapestries everywhere. "It seems they like their home to be decorated…" He muses and looks around for Esther but sees her and Eva already walking away. "AH! Hang on we don't have a plan yet!" He panics chasing after them.

"No we have a plan you two go that way and we'll go this way." Eva calls over her shoulder as the two continue down a hallway and wave at the two.

"Don't worry Abel we'll be find!" Esther calls as the two vanish into the shadows leaving Abel and Leon alone.

"Great so now I guess we go this way." Leon grumbles and heads down the opposite hallway leaving Abel alone in the middle of the room.

"LEON, DON'T LEAVE ME!" Abel whines as he rushes after Leon and bumps into him. "OOF…sorry." He apologizes smiling brightly as Leon shakes his head and the two continue on their way…

… … …

"So where should we go Eva neither of us know our way around here?" Esther asks as she stands by Eva who was shrugged and continued to look for a door. "Maybe there are other Methuselahs in here and we could find out by listening to their-omph?" She begins but Eva covers her mouth and they hear voices in the distance growing closer.

"Why would the Boss kidnap the guy when he knew that the others would come here?" One of the voices asks as the two listen and hide when they hear footsteps rounding the corner.

"I don't know but from what I heard Boss didn't want to kidnap the guy it was Andrew that did that." The second man says as they walk by the two who were hiding behind a statue.

"That makes sense since the Boss is way too formal, knowing him he probably just wanted to walk up to the guy and ask him if they could talk." The first one laughs as they turn the corner and are gone.

"Come on Esther let's try to see if he's down that way?" Eva whispers after a few moments of silence to make sure they were gone. "We'll go the way they came from." She says as she slowly comes out from behind the statue with Esther behind her and the two cautiously head around the corner and notice two hallways filled with doors.

"He could be in of these." Esther says and knocks on one of the doors waiting for answer but it stays silent.

"Right you take the ones on the left I'll take the ones on the right." Eva says as she heads down the right hallway and Esther goes to the left. "Remember watch out for vampires!" She warns to Esther as she waves and leaves.

"There are so many doors it will take me forever to look through them all." Esther sighs and looks at all the doors ahead of her knocking on each one or looking through each of the slit of metal bars to peer in but finds the same thing, nothing behind each door. "How am I going to find him he may not even be here?" She grumbles to herself but stops when she hears a sound from one of the doors near the end.

"I MEAN COME'N YA'LL ARE JUS' GONNA LEAVE ME HERE REALLY HOW DUMB CAN YA'LL BE?" Someone demands in a muffled voice and she quickly hurries to the door and sees that there is no way to peer in.

"Maybe I should go get Eva or the others…" Esther muses softly looking at the metal door with uncertainty and begins to head back the way she came toward Eva's direction. "No I have to do this I'm sure he can't be that dangerous if they don't have any guards or someway to be sure he doesn't escape." She concludes and turns back toward the door.

… … …

"Man this sucks big time." Shadow growls and glares at the door after seeing feet under it and turn away. "What they don't want to shock me anymore is that it? They're a bunch of jerks having this collar AND these sticking shackles seriously what do they think I'd do break outta the shackles when I can barely move without being shocked?" He asks in an irritated tone and hangs his head.

"Apparently so but you have to admit they probably have their hands fool with the others." Night calmly says lying on a rafter out of Shadow's view and looks down at him. "You know I'm right." He states and laughs when Shadow answers by scoffing and glares at the wall when both notice the door handle turn slowly.

"WHAT NOW LIKE YA'LL AREN'T BEIN' CRUEL ENOUGH-who are you?" Shadow asks in confusion looking at the girl that was standing in the door way her bright blue eyes wide in shock. "Hey hello I asked ya a question." He says as the girl blinks then turns.

"Sorry I think I have the wrong room." She says and quickly turns to leave.

"Wait hang on how can ya have the wrong room? I'm pretty sure I'm the only guy being held captive here." Shadow barks and sighs in relief when the girl comes back and walks over to him. "What? I don't bite I ain't a vamp." He dryly states when she just stares at him.

"Are you Shadow?" She asks him in a curious and disbelief voice.

"Who wants to know?" Shadow asks the girl when he hears steps coming down the hall at a fast pace. "Forget it shut the door and maybe find a place to hide try the shadows." He orders surprising the girl but she listens and quickly shuts the door then hides behind it.

"Alright buddy let's go." A vampire barks as he storms in and slams the door open nearly hitting Esther.

"Oh joy we get to go on a walk." Shadow dryly says glaring at the vampire whose eyebrow had started to twitch with irritation.

"You could say that." The vampire says as he walks over to Shadow and removes the shackles. "Now come on." He orders not noticing the smile on Shadow's face when he didn't move. "I said mo-OOF!" He grunts when Shadow's foot connects with his face and he falls to the ground unconscious.

"Ya'll should know that I don't handle taking orders from others very well." Shadow says as he rubs his wrists and grabs a key ring then looks at the girl who was blinking in surprise. "Alright ya know my name what's yers?" He asks picking up the vampire and holds him up the shackles then shakes his head and sets him down in the corner. "Hello? Lady you there?" He asks waving his hand in front of her face.

"Oh sorry my name is Esther." Esther says after a moment holding her hand out for him to shake.

"Uh huh…how do you know me?" Shadow asks looking at her hand a moment then shakes it.

"I'm a friend of Alma and the others." Esther says and notices Shadow's expression change from skeptical to surprise to shock to confusion then finally to joy all in under five seconds.

"Really? Yer not pulling my leg are ya?" Shadow quickly asks basically bouncing off the walls then he stops suddenly. "Wait…how can I trust you?" He asks giving her a skeptic expression.

"Well for one thing I'm not a vampire and another I don't see why you shouldn't I haven't really done anything that deserves you to distrust me." Esther says hiding the nervousness in her voice as Shadow thinks a moment.

_Do you see any other choice I mean not like I can do much for long with this collar on? _Shadow thinks as he lets out a heavy sigh and closes his eyes.

"Well you could just keep moving leave the girl but what if she really did come with Alma it may not kill you." Night answers in a calm voice as Shadow nods and looks at Esther a slight grunt escaping his throat. "Try not to fight too much your body hasn't fully recovered from that shock." Night warns as Shadow grumbles under his breath.

"I know…it won't until I get this stupid thing off of me." Shadow barks under his breath then quickly walks over to the door beside Esther. "Alright fine but if ya make one wrong move I swear you'll regret it." He coldly says and pokes his head out a moment scanning the area for any enemies.

"Hmph well you aren't too friendly." Esther mutters looking at the vampire that was still unconscious by the wall. "Do you just plan on leaving him there?" She asks Shadow who looks back and nods.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" He asks in a bored tone as he leans against the doorway.

"Because what if he wakes up before we leave or chases after us or alerts the others, you have to somehow restrain him!" Esther states pointing at the vampire as Shadow looks over her shoulder and sighs.

"Fine, get out of there and I'll lock the door." Shadow says as he turns to leave and Esther sends him a confused look. "Look I know what I'm doing alright trust me okay?" He asks looking back at her as she nods and follows him. "Sheesh yer such a worry wart, you know that Esther?" He asks in a joking tone and shuts the door once Esther was out.

"How do you plan on locking it?" Esther asks then shivers when she sees Shadow smile a dark smile and he opens the door back up and walks in. "What are you doing?" She asks and just stares when Shadow puts one of the vampire's hands in the shackles then walks back out. "Why did you only put one hand?" She asks him as he shuts the door again and looks around.

"Forget locking it I don't wanna chance running into any more vamps but believe me one should be enough now there has to be others with you so where are they?" Shadow asks her as he continues to look around glancing at Esther for a moment. _That is if she's even telling the truth… _He mentally adds on and looks away from her when she looks at him.

"Well I know one of them went the opposite way of me so we should find her first." Esther explains as she takes the lead and heads toward the direction she had come from to try to find Eva.

"Her? Is it Alma or Scarlet?" Shadow asks in a curious tone as he trots alongside Esther and she stares at the stark white collar around his neck. "What ya act like ya ain't ever seen a collar before?" He asks looking down at her an eyebrow raised as she quickly looks away.

"Oh nothing…um it's neither they were outside fighting the Methuselahs last time I saw them." Esther answers looking at the wall to avoid Shadow's stare.

"Dang…then who's the we're looking for?" Shadow asks his hands behind his head as he looked around in a bored manner. _That's not right! _He think as he mentally sobs.

"Well her name is Eva and…will you quite staring at me?" Esther barks at him catching him off guard.

"I can't help it! You were staring at this stupid thing 'round my neck a second ago!" Shadow barks quickly recovering from his momentary shock as the two have a stare down. "Look not like I want this thing on me an' I didn't really have a choice in the matter anyways!" He continues then sighs and looks away from her.

"Well…uh…I…" Esther fumbles trying to find the right words to say but can't think of any and drops her gaze.

"Can we jus' get on with finding this Eva person the sooner we find her I take it the sooner we can leave?" Shadow asks his back to Esther as he looks around making sure no one was coming. _And the sooner I bet I get my butt chewed out by Alma and the others…crud. _He silently adds on and hides his growing depression.

"Yeah, you're right come on then we can find Abel and Leon." Esther says as she quickly turns and walks down the hall.

"Hey wait up!" Shadow calls as he starts after her and catches up to her.

… … …

"Um…Leon I think we picked the wrong path." Abel nervously says as he and Leon run down the hallway trying to avoid the vampires that were chasing after them screaming curses at them and shouting insults to them.

"No, you think?" Leon sarcastically says as he runs alongside Abel and the two round a corner too fast nearly making them slam into the nearby wall. "Keep going!" He shouts as they quickly take off again and he laughs when he hears the vampires smash into one another after the first few slam into the wall.

"Well look on the bright side-AH!" Abel begins but cries out when a blur comes out of nowhere and slams into him knocking him to the ground.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow that hurt!" Eva whines as she sits on the floor and rubs her face then looks up to see a shocked Abel lying on the floor in front of her and Leon behind him. "Oh hey guys I found you two!" She cheers quickly jumping up and claps her hands together and smiles at the two.

"Wait you were looking for us?" Leon and Abel ask in surprise as Abel stands up and brushes his clothes off and the two exchange odd looks. "Where is Esther?" Abel asks after a few moments of silence.

"Oh yeah you see we came across this other fork in the road and had to split up well I didn't find anything in my hallway so I went to look for you guys!" Eva explains as she smiles and turns to leave. "Come on I'll show you guys which way to go!" She chirps as she leads them down the hallway she had come from.

"Wait you mean you didn't even bother to check on Esther to make sure she wasn't in danger or anything?" Leon asks as he and Abel exchange worried looks and follow the extremely happy girl down the hall.

"Uh…yes I did but I figured she'd be alright because I didn't hear a scream." Eva answers looking over her shoulders and smiles at the two. "Besides if you guys ran into those vampires here than that could mean that Shadow is down here not down her hallway, right?" She asks the two in a confident voice none of them hearing the pair of feet hurrying down the hallway.

… … …

"Wait I'm confused who's Abel?" Shadow asks Esther as he looks at her with a confused expression. "And who's Leon?" He asks again an eyebrow raised in confusion.

"I already told you! They are both priests of the Vatican sector called A.X!" Esther barks at him her patients slowly wearing down at the teen who kept asking the same questions.

"Yeah I get that but I mean who are they?" Shadow barks back throwing his hands in the air then rolls his eyes and scoffs. "Ugh you know what never mind I'll find out later." He sighs in annoyance at the nun who didn't understand what he was asking. "Yer worse than Scarlet and I didn't think there was anyone worse than her at arguing." He grumbles under his breath ignoring the shocked looks from Esther as he rounds a corner and suddenly freezes at the sound of people talking and footsteps coming closer. "Shhh, get to the wall." He orders in a quiet tone as he presses himself and Esther against the wall waiting for the targets to round the corner.

"What is it?" Esther asks in a low whisper and tries to make out the voices but all she hears are muffles then when she realizes who it was she was too late Shadow had already struck and pinned Abel and Leon to the wall with a dazed Eva on the ground.

"Who are you? Do you work for William? Where's Andrew how do I get this thing off of my neck? Answer!" Shadow barks glaring at the two his ocean blue eyes cold and demanding as a low growl follow his demands.

"Wait Shadow stop! Those two are Abel and Leon!" Esther exclaims in a panicked tone as she runs out and sees Shadow blankly looking at her.

"Wait? What?" Shadow asks in confusion and shock dropping the two and looks at her with a blank look. "Then why's he smell like a vamp?" He demands pointing at Abel who began to look around nervously and tried to find an answer.

"We'll explain that later but you know the two priests I told you about right?" Esther asks as Shadow nods and continues to look at her and then at the other in confusion. "Well that's who they are I finally recognized who they were but before I could tell you…you um already attacked." She says as Shadow visibly pales and then smacks his face with his palm.

"You've gotta be kiddin'…seriously do I honestly not get a break today? Or is it just torture Shadow day or something like that?" Shadow asks no one in particular as he shakes his head and tries to hide his face. "I swear I have the worst of luck I try to keep my deal with Mickele and I end up bein' kidnapped, tortured by crazy vamps, had to talk to their leader, an' get um…freed by a nun who claims she knows Alma and the others, then I literally attack her allies can this get any worse I mean honestly what could go wrong now?" He barks to the air and shakes his head.

"Well there's still that collar you have around your neck." Andrew calmly remarks stepping out from behind the wall and gives Esther a cold look as she stare up at him in shock.

"Of course you come out of nowhere and have to remind me that I'm like a stinking dog to you!" Shadow snaps glaring knives and daggers at Andrew his eyes blazing with hatred and rage. "Say one more thing I dare ya an' I show what all I can do even with this stupid collar 'round my neck!" He continues his rage boiling over as he continues to shout at Andrew who was slightly taken back at his sudden outbursts.

"My you have quite the temper don't you." Andrew calmly says recovering from his momentary shock which irritated Shadow even further if that was possible. "Perhaps you should learn to contain your rage better, hm?" He asks and holds a small metal box that Shadow looks at confused then gulps in fear.

"Uh I suggest you run…like now Shadow!" Night barks suddenly as Shadow takes a few steps back and glances back to see all the other vampires approaching the group. "Forget about those idiots they can't stop you if you go at them full speed just run and get away before that Andrew shocks you again!" He orders as Shadow glances back and nods.

"Gotta catch me first vamp!" Shadow barks as he turns and dashes straight for the other vampires. "Jus' hope they don't bite me." He grumbles as he reaches them and jumps right over them then kicks a few in the head making them topple into the others and runs around the corner but doesn't stop not wanting to be anywhere near Andrew and the box that possibly controlled the collar around his neck.

"So I take it you don't have a plan other than running." Night says as Shadow continues down the hall with no sense of direction.

"Well do you have any other ideas I can't just go back there I mean he has the stinking that controls the collar if I get near 'im he'll zap me!" Shadow barks back as he turns the corner and leans against it trying to hide from any vampires that might have been chasing him.

"No not really." Night answers when the two hear a scream fill the air and Shadow looks around the corner. "Oh no, I don't like what you're thinking." He says as Shadow glares toward his direction and rolls his eyes.

"What do you expect me to do just sit here?" Shadow barks in a demanding tone as he looks back around the corner noticing that it was clear.

"No but you should know that it's a trap!" Night shouts back and face palms after Shadow ignores his protests and warnings and goes on back to the scream.

… … …

"Esther!" Abel shouts and glares at the vampire that was holding her up by her neck a hungry look in his eyes. "Put her down." He orders in a calm tone. _Why would he just run away I don't understand what does that remote have to do with-the collar! _He thinks in realization.

"Why, then I lose my pawn and it's not like you or your friends can do much plus your little Guardian friend fled in sheer terror at the sight of me doesn't that tell you something?" Andrew mocks a twisted smile on his face as looks back at Esther and gently strokes her neck.

"I don't think he fled from you I think he fled from that box you held up." Abel dryly states as he points to the box that was in Andrew's other hand. "I take it that box is the remote control to the collar around his neck." He continues and smiles a sweet smile when Andrew growls at him and he clenches the remote. "I'm right aren't I?" He asks and sighs when Andrew's glare darkens. _My hunch was right but what exactly does, it do it must be painful to make him take off without saying anything. _He thinks glancing at the direction Shadow had taken off to a few moments ago.

"What do you plan on doing with Esther besides sucking her blood?" Eva demands her hands clenched into fists as she glares at Andrew.

"She's not worth my time as soon as that Guardian's back in my hands I'll let her go and you all can leave empty handed." Andrew coolly answers regaining his composer and looks at Eva.

"Well we can't really do that you see we have friends that need to talk to him." Eva answers and continues to glare at Andrew all the playfulness usually present on her face gone and replaced with determination.

"Oh is that s-OOF!" Andrew grunts as Shadow's foot connects with his jaw and sends him flying into the farthest wall causing him to release Esther out of reflex.

"Don't ya ever shut yer yap?" Shadow barks to him as he lands on the ground and immediately runs behind Abel. "I mean come on ya'll need a dang shock collar to keep me here yer a bunch a sissies!" He mocks and makes a face at Andrew who had sat up in the rubble and glared at Shadow with pure hatred. _Oh man I'm so dead. _He thinks resisting the urge to run away again.

"Says the one hiding behind the priest." Andrew bluntly remarks as Shadow looks up at Abel smiles an apologetic smile and then glares at Andrew.

"Shut up! You have no right to be makin' fun of me ya sick twisted old man vamp thing!" Shadow barks back and slowly starts to step back away from Abel to the corner of the wall. _Yeah real smart Shadow make 'im angry and he'll shock ya for sure…I'm an idiot. _He thinks as he hides behind the corner.

"If you wish to call me what I am than do not use that pathetic term vamp I am a Methuselah get it right you stupid Guardian you can't even talk right." Andrew remarks as he stands up and brushes himself off not even giving Shadow a second look.

"What did ya say? Callin' me stupid is one thing but insulting how I talk is something different all together!" Shadow barks as he quickly stands away from the corner and glares at Andrew. _That's it let him shock me no one insults how I speak I take it as an offense to Alma and the others…okay mainly Alma and Tyran the others speak pretty good grammar. _He thinks as he boldly stands his ground but starts to slip behind the corner when Andrew smiles a smile of pure evil.

"But it is oh so very true, now let us see you come out with another attack like a few moments ago shall we my boy?" Andrew asks in a mocking tone as Shadow gulps and starts to inch toward the wall again.

"Why are you so scared of him what exactly does that collar do?" Esther asks from her spot behind Abel and Leon.

_He acts like he already knows what will happen when Andrew presses the button…so could it be a shock collar perhaps but that doesn't make sense. _Abel thinks as he looks from Shadow who had started to edge down the wall and Andrew whose smile was growing with every second.

"Uh…about that…I ain't scared of 'im for one thing an' another this collar hurts when he presses that button let's keep it at that." Shadow explains as he starts to edge away from the group and freezes when Andrew suddenly appears in front of him. "Ya know it's times like this where I really hate the fact that vamps are so quick." Shadow grumbles to himself and whimpers as he tries to run but falls to the ground when Andrew activates the collar. _OW! THIS HURTS LIKE HECK I CAN'T EVEN SPEAK FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! _He thinks as he lays on the ground his muscles locking up from the shocks.

"See my boy you can't do anything with that pesky collar on, can you?" Andrew asks in a mock concerned tone watching as Shadow struggled to even breath.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Leon barks and rams into Andrew sending him into a pillar that shatters and lands on top of him and makes the collar stop its cycle. "Hey are you alright?" He asks as he runs over to Shadow who was panting trying to catch his breath and slow his racing heart down.

"Ugh…I think I've had better days…" Shadow answers in tired tone not resisting when Leon grabs his arm and lifts him onto his shoulder after his breathing slowed to a semi-normal rate. _My head's so fuzzy I can't think right those shocks and wine are seriously messing with me! _He thinks and shakes his head in an attempt to clear it.

"Come on let's get out of here while he's down." Esther says as they all take off while Andrew slowly digs himself out of the rubble and holds head. "Shadow can you walk?" She asks after they get distance between them and Andrew.

"Le' me try." Shadow mumbles still dizzy from the shock but lets go of Leon's shoulder and manages to stand for about thirty seconds then he falls to his knees. "No…." He mutters as he takes Abel's hand and leans on him for support. _Dang it that's the fourth shock I've gotten today which is pretty bad considering that they multiply by ten each time…I don't want any more of those things. _He thinks as he walks on wobbly legs with Abel for support.

"Well that explains why you ran away when he held that remote." Eva laughs in a playful tone and sends Shadow a bright smile when he shoots her a death glare. "I mean for a moment there I thought you just ditched us! I'm glad you didn't though then how would we explain that to Alma and the others?" She asks with a cheerful smile on her face.

"You guys keep telling me ya'll know 'em but I haven't seen 'em anywhere! So where are they or next time I really will ditch ya'll." Shadow barks glaring at Eva his temper nearly boiling because of the shock. "Oww…my head." He grumbles scowling at the floor his head drooping. _Shouting doesn't help me any. _He thinks scolding himself silently under his breath.

"Maybe you should work on your temper hm?" Abel asks shaking his head when Shadow grumbles under his breath. "You will have to wait to see your…um friends they had to distract the Methuselah so we could get in here." He explains to Shadow in a calm voice. _I don't blame him for his ill-temper he must have been shocked before and I don't think they would make the shock lessen with each turn. _He thinks looking at Shadow in pity.

"Mm stupid vamps putting this stupid collar on me, stupid Mickele, stupid, stupid, stupid Andrew, stupid way to polite William. I hate this day when I get back I'm takin' me a nap!" Shadow mumbles and almost trips over his own feet. "Really can I get a break anyone? I mean seriously just for one lousy minute I would like to not be injured or shocked by anyone! Is that too much to ask for?" He continues his rant and then finally sighs in defeat. _I'm not helping anyone by going on my rants… _He thinks as he sighs again.

"Are you finished do you need to have a minute to cool down?" Eva asks looking at him her head tilted with a concerned look. "Oh or maybe do you need a hug?" She asks holding her finger up and smiles.

"No I think I'm done and I don't think I want a hug from you." Shadow answers in a dry tone looking at the ground not noticing Eva inch closer. "Touch me and I swear you'll regret it." He darkly says looking up at her. _I know she doesn't mean any harm but that shock's pushed me near the edge. _He thinks regretting what he said and how he said it.

"Now, now calm down Shadow I'm sure you're in a foul mood after all that's happened so let's try to get along shall we?" Abel asks in a sincere tone smiling gently at Shadow.

"Tell her to leave me alone." Shadow says and looks away from Eva who was scowling at him but nods.

"Tell him to act nicer then I'll leave him alone." Eva grunts her arms crossed as she ignores Shadow's cold look.

"In case ya'll didn't know its kind a hard to act nicer when I've been kidnapped, shocked at least four times, and held captive against my will all in one day, might I add." Shadow grumbles to her as he rolls his eyes in annoyance. _Man I'm so tired I just want to take a nap maybe I could…nah I don't these people. _He thinks as he shakes his head.

"Wow sounds like you've had a rotten day." Eva says looking at him with wide eyes as the others do the same. "I guess that would be a good reason for the way you have been acting but still, try to be nicer and people won't think you're such a jerk." She kindly says as Shadow gives her cold glare and then smiles.

"Fine I see your point…sorry for what I said earlier." Shadow says and holds his free hand out to her a sincere smile on his face. _She's right not much I can do right now and I want to get on their good sides…besides they don't seem that bad. _He thinks as she shakes his hand.

"Apology accepted now come one let's go find the others!" Eva cheers as she turns and runs down another hall having no idea where she had to go or where she was.

**Shadow: You enjoy putting me through the harshest situations don't you?**

**Author: They only seem harsh to you. Hope you enjoyed sorry for the wait!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Author: Ello people! I got it and it didn't take me two weeks!**

**Shadow: Wow I am truly impressed now when do I get this stupid collar off of me?**

**Author: I don't know whenever it fits the story.**

**Shadow: Which'll be when?**

**Author: I don't know. ^-^**

**Shadow: '-_- Of course.**

**Alma: Hey look it I getta talk here! ^.^**

**Shadow: Why're you here?**

**Alma: I have to have a reason?**

**Shadow: It would be nice but no.**

**Author: Ah you two are so cute! **

**Shadow/ Alma: SHUT UP!**

**Author: Haha Bye people enjoy the story!**

**Chapter 22**

"So do ya'll think they found 'im yet?" Alma asks dodging another vampire's attack and retaliates with a flaming fist to their stomach that makes them slump to the ground in pain. _Well at least we ain't bein' over run like earlier. _She thinks as she quickly knocks the vampire out and turns to her cousin who was fighting off a small duo.

"Don't know don't really care the sooner they find him the sooner we leave and get to interrogate him." Scarlet dryly says as she freezes a vampire and round house kicks the one behind her sending him flying into the trees.

"Oh gee you're oh so nice Scarlet." Alma says jumping up into the air to avoid a massive vampire that had charged her and ended up slamming into the wall making the entire complex violently shake. _Course I can see why she wouldn't really care…but still if it means we get answers then I want them to find 'im quick and does she really intend to interrogate Shadow? _She thinks in shock as she gracefully lands on the ground or more like lands on the ground and gets flung backwards into the wall after a vampire had rammed into her from behind. _That's gonna leave a mark… _She thinks as she falls out of the crater in the wall and lands on the ground the breath knocked out of her.

"Alma! YOU SON OF A-DIE!" Scarlet barks punching the vampire in the side of the face nearly breaking his jaw but manages to knock a few of his fangs loose and make him bite his tongue, then she finishes it off with a sharp blow the neck that rendered him unconscious.

"Fine…I think, yeah I'm jus' outta breath." Alma gasps as she sits up and takes a few deep breaths then looks at the vampire that was lying on the ground unconscious next to her furious cousin. _Okay…note to self, do not get Scarlet mad enough to hit me with one of her punches they hurt. _She thinks and nods as she makes the mental note.

"Well I think that's about it over here. How're the others doing do they need any help?" Mickele asks popping out of a hole in the ground covered in dirt and quickly starts to brush the dirt out of his hair and off his face.

"What are you a mole?" Scarlet asks him then hears a chorus of shouts, screeches, and groans she looks to her left in time to see a group of vampires fall into a pit of earth. "Yes, yes you are indeed a mole that digs holes all over the place." She answers herself ignoring Mickele's angry and insulted looks.

"Shut up it was the quickest way to get rid of all the stupid vamps over here!" Mickele shouts as he climbs out of the hole and dusts himself off sneezing from the dust. "So you should be thanking me now we have to help the others." He continues recovering from his sneezing fit and continues to shake his shirt to get the dirt out. "Man Isis is going to make me take another bath tonight." He grumbles under his breath as his shoulders slump.

"Well you're half right we do have to go help the others but I'm not going to thank you for that." Scarlet dryly says sending him a teasing smile and goes walks over to Alma and helps her up and brushes the dirt off of Alma.

"Gee thanks mom I can dust myself off." Alma jokingly says as she smiles at Scarlet who gives her a not amused look. "What sorry jeez don't take everything so seriously Scarlet." She scoffs as her shoulders slump and she ignores Scarlet's sour look.

"I wasn't now come on we have to help Tyran before he does something stu-" She begins but stops in mid-sentence when they all see a massive tornado form and vampires go flying in all directions. "Stupid…never mind he already did." She sighs and smacks her face then heads off to the direction of the tornado that was gone now but they could still see vampires flying through the air and landing far away.

… … …

"What was that?" Ace shouts at Tyran who was catching his breath as he leaned against the wall. "Well!" She demands again earning her Tyran's gesture that told her to wait one minute.

"It was a tornado nothing special." Tyran finally says as he straightens up and shrugs at her with a bored expression. "Aside from its size and speed that's what wore me out." He explains and looks around for any other vampires that the tornado might have missed. "But looks like it was worth it see hardly any more vamps for ya'll to fight." He smiles a wide grin at the duo in front of him.

"Wait you're not fighting anymore?" Ace asks giving him a cold dark glare that he merely shrugs off like it was nothing.

"I never said that." Tyran defensively states with an edge to his voice. "I just mean that now ya'll won't have trouble fighting while I take a small breather." He explains leaning against the wall with a bored expression.

"So you won't be fighting because if you're taking a 'breather' how are you going to fight?" Ace asks in confusion her head slightly tilted in confusion.

"Simple I use the wind what else?" Tyran asks as he sends her a bright smile which earns him a dark glare. "What? It's true I don't have to exert that much energy when I'm just knocking a few vamps over." He states in confusion an innocent look on his face.

"Sure, whatever floats your boat." Ace sarcastically chirps turning around and walks away from him to take out the few remaining vampires that were running around wreaking havoc trying to stop the group from entering. _Too bad they don't know we already have people in there. _She thinks a smirk playing at her lips as she strikes and dodges blows with dancing like motions.

"Show off." Tyran grumbles under his breath as he rolls his eyes and turns his attention to Tres who was firing with pin point accuracy at the vampires that dared to challenge him. _And he's even worse…I mean come'n can't he miss at least once! _He thinks his eyebrow twitching slightly. "Do ya need any help there Tres?" He calls to him loudly already knowing what the answer would be.

"Negative I can handle them by myself." Tres answers in a monotone voice not noticing Tyran grumble under his breath and shake his head. "There is a vampire behind you." He warns as Tyran jumps out of the way and narrowly dodges the vampire that had been sneaking up on him.

"Thanks!" Tyran shouts and jumps again to dodge the vampire's second attempt of attack and smashes the vampires face into the ground with a mid-air counter kick. "Haha take that you stupid vamp tryin' ta sneak up on me!" He scoffs landing on the ground and wipes his hands then looks at the vampire. _That wasn't strong enough to kill 'em but he'll be for the next few hours which should give us time to get in and out...maybe as long as there aren't any complications. _He thinks smirking then turns toward the others looking for anymore vampires but there were none all of the remainder were either lying on the ground unconscious or dead.

"Tyran do you guys need…uh help?" Mickele asks rounding the corner and looks around at all the vampires that were groaning on the ground. "Never mind guess you guys don't." He states walking over and nudges one vampire's head with his foot. _Geez Ty you're brutal when you wanna be. _He thinks and looks at Tyran who shrugs.

"I didn't do much those two mostly did all the work." Tyran explains pointing to the two who were still surveying the area. "All the ones not dead are mine the rest they killed." He continues pointing to an unconscious vampire by Mickele's foot and smiles. "So don't give me that look." He says raising an eyebrow as Mickele laughs nervously.

… … …

"This is getting ridiculous." William grumbles under his breath holding his head as he sits in his chair and listens to the battle. "Andrew has really gone and done it this time but it's not like I can just waltz out of here I'm sure he has a few people standing guard out by my door." He grumbles again growing more irritated by the second as he glares at the door. _He barged in here shocked Shadow and forced him out just because his friends came here to probably save him because they thought Andrew kidnapped him! _He thinks as a growl escapes his throat and his canines extend as he picks up the still nearly full wine bottle. "I do not care if he is worried about me, I am the leader and he is making a mess of everything!" He shouts tossing the bottle against the wall and then slumps back down into the chair. "The last thing I want to become enemies with Shadow and his kind." He sighs shaking his head.

"Sir William is everything alright in there?" One of the guards ask poking their head into the room after hearing William let out a frustrated growl and something shatter against the wall. "We heard you shout then something shatter…" He slowly finishes after he sees the shattered wine bottle and its contents laying on the ground by the door. "Eh…I see what the sound was." He says then looks at William who was rubbing his forehead and sitting in the chair with an exhausted look. "Are you alright sir?" He asks again in a concerned tone.

"I will be better once this nonsense is over and done with." William snaps in a cold even tone with an edge of annoyance to it that sent shivers down the guard's spine. "Here you two are just standing at my door waiting for what? The Guardians to attack they have no business with me they want Shadow! And it is thanks to Andrew why they came here in the first place he made it seem like I wanted Shadow kidnapped." He says in the same even tone as before standing up and glaring at both guards that were looking cautiously toward each other. "Do you think I really need your protection I can handle myself very well." William calmly says was he walks toward the guards his normally dark blue-purple eyes glow a dark sinister blood red.

"N-no sir b-b-but Andrew-" One of them stammers shivering in fear knowing how hard it was to get William in such a foul mood both kept backing up until they were against the outside the door cowering in front of William who had silenced him with a cold glare.

"Since when do you listen to Andrew when I am in the same building or are you more scared of him then me?" William calmly asks looking at the two a blank expression on his face. The two shivered in fear it wasn't the fact that his eyes were blood red or how he stood over them that scared them it was the fact that his voice was so calm and even that they knew he would kill one of them if he wanted to and no one would not even the other beside them would know it until it was too late.

"N-no Sir William but…we're sorry we know you're strong enough to handle yourself we'll leave now." One of them says as he grabs the other's arm and takes off the opposite of the battle and William quickly trying to get out of William's way so he wouldn't kill them. _William is scary when he's mad it's so easy to forget he's the leader because of how he normally acts but when he's mad I don't want to be in his way…I bet he could go against the Crusnik and come close to or beat him. _He thinks not looking back to see if William was watching them he and the other were just running for their life.

"Sometimes I wonder why Andrew orders the others to do things he knows I hate?" William asks himself then frowns softly and looks at the direction the two had run. "Did I really scare them that bad?" He asks aloud blinking a few times as his eyes start to fade back to their normal dark blue-purple and then sighs. "I'm not that scary…am I?" He ponders softly, walking back into his room and looks around a moment. "Since I don't have to worry about them I should try and help Shadow's friends I'm sure they'll need some way inside soon." He muses softly gently stroking his chin in deep thought as he heads to one of the shelves with books and picks up one of them and smiles when the shelf moves and reveals a secret tunnel. "Now no one will wonder where I've gone with those two gone…maybe next time I'll try to be nicer when I want them to leave." He softly says entering the dark tunnel but not before he grabbed an unlit torch and lit it when the shelf closed by scraping it against the stone wall.

"I've been in here for quite some time I wonder if I'm close." William says his hand on the wall as he slowly walked through the dimly lit tunnel then smiles when he hears voices ahead and feels a huge gust of wind that blows his flame out leaving him in the dark. "Just what I need." He sighs then feels for a wall in front of him and gives it a huge push just in time to see a large swirling gust of wind blow past him. "Well now I know what blew my light out." He jokingly says closing the door when he hears voices nearing and waits a few moments before he was sure they were gone and reopened the door then walked out and smiled. "Now to find his friends and help them…what if they try to fight me?" He suddenly asks stopping in mid-step then shakes his head and smiles. "I'll find that out when I meet them." He happily chirps and continues around the building.

… … …

"Now all we have to do is find a way-AIEEE!" Alma shrieks when a hand lands on her shoulder and she whips around ready for a fight but finds William staring at her with a mix of shock and horror. "Who're you!" She demands jumping back away from William who in turn shakes his head.

"I am William and I would appreciate if you did not try to shatter my ear drums I need those you know?" William answers in a light hearted voice and laughs kindly. "I see I did not get here in time to prevent the deaths of some of my men." He continues more to himself than anyone else then looks up at Alma who was glaring at him. "Oh right I have to explain don't I? I don't feel like being killed by a misunderstanding." He states laughing and then sees Tres take aim at him. "AH! Wait I'm not an enemy!" He barks ducking behind Alma to avoid being shot at.

"Well you better explain yourself then." Alma bluntly states stepping aside only to have him scoot back behind her. "Tres put the gun down I don't want to be used as a shield, please?" She asks Tres in the most polite tone she could muster.

"Positive, but he is still a methuselah and must explain why his men kidnapped Shadow." Tres bluntly states as he puts his gun away and William stands up and steps aside from Alma.

"Thanks you are oh so kind." William says smiling at the group and brushes himself off. "For starters I would like to apologize for having Shadow kidnapped it was not of my orders I had told them that I wanted to speak with him and if he did not come then-" William starts but Alma cuts in before he can finish his statement.

"Then, to have 'im kidnapped?" Alma asks in confusion looking at the others trying to decide whether the man standing in front of her was really dangerous. _He's mentioned that he was the leader of them so…he has to be deadly right? Then what's he playing at actin' all formal and polite? _She thinks shaking her head and grumbles under her breath.

"No not exactly I said I would go and see if I could talk to him in person being the leader of the Guardians I had assumed would give him more influence in human affairs and would be of some use to my dreams." William explains then notices the dark glares from the Guardians and coughs. "Let me rephrase that since those words were a poor choice and didn't really explain what it was I wanted." He says holding up his index finger and laughs nervously.

"Nah ya think." Alma sarcastically and bluntly states rolling her eyes at him as she shakes her head in disbelief.

"Hmm I take it you and Shadow have known each other for a long time?" William asks and then shakes his head. "Right no time to be side tracked so I will tell you this I wanted peace that is all and since the Guardians have both the power and resources to coexist between human and methuselah alike I figured asking if they would utilize those aspects it might help lessen the very strenuous conditions for both the Vatican and Empire." He explains in an almost pleading tone and looks at the other Guardians who were in shock. "You know Shadow reacted the same way but he was rather blunt and said that there could never be peace between the two because of so many differences but it might help." He continues in a hopeful tone smiling a pleading smile hoping that they would accept.

"Wait, wait you already spoke with Shadow?" Tyran suddenly says waving his hand toward William after a few moments of odd silence and gives him a shocked look.

"Yes I believe that would be how I got my reference to his reaction that I mentioned just a bit ago." William says in confusion as he nods his head. "Why do you ask does it not sound like him?" He asks after a moment of thought.

"Why? I'm asking because your men attacked us and if you already talked with Shadow then why'd they still attack us?" Tyran barks at William who in turn rubs his chin looking for an answer. "I want an answer and it better make sense!" He adds in irritation as he gives William a cold glare.

"Well you see I was in my room for the first part then I decided that this was silly and wanted to help…as to why they attacked you I suppose they were merely following Andrew's orders he's my second in command so when I am not around he is in charge or so to speak." William finally answers in a calm even tone.

"So you mean you had no intentions to kidnap Shadow or hold him hostage but yer men attacked us because…Andrew gave them orders too?" Alma asks in total confusion her head tilted to the side. _Is he kidding me? _She thinks staring at William in shock.

"Yes to put it simply so this was all a big misunderstanding." William brightly says smiling a broad smile and laughing softly. "And I am very sorry that you all had to suffer through this entire ordeal." He apologizes rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"You're kidding this entire thing was just…A DAMN MISUNDERSTANDING?" Scarlet shouts startling William and making him jumping him back. "ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME ARE YOU REALLY THAT DUMB YOU DUMBASS?" She continues as William nods and scoots back away from her.

"I'm afraid I have to say no to both your outburst and the insult and I am very sorry for all of this perhaps we can talk about it after you 'rescue' Shadow shall we?" William asks in a nervous tone as Scarlet continues to fume and shout at him. _My, she has quite the temper and such a foul mouth…it's shocking really. _He thinks in astonishment.

"Yeah about getting inside are you going to help us?" Mickele asks shaking his head as Scarlet continues to rant and shout vulgar words to William. "Ignore her she doesn't have a filter for what she says." He sighs shaking his head.

"Look who's talkin' ya got a worse mouth than her at times Mike." Tyran says nudging Mickele shoulders stifling his laughter. "Especially, when yer in a foul mood." He adds on laughing at the end.

"Oh shut up like you don't cuss!" Mickele shouts at Tyran his face red with embarrassment and rage. "Besides it's your damned fault for leaving me with her all those times when you went out to get your stupid whiskey!" He shouts glaring at Tyran who shakes his head.

"It wasn't whiskey." Tyran states shaking his head and laughing. "It was moonshine from one of my old pals get it right Mike." He corrects ruffling Mickele's hair with a big smile on his face.

"AND THAT'S ANY BETTER?" Mickele shouts at Tyran in shock as William stands silently waiting not wanting to interfere with their argument over what was worse Mickele saying Tyran left to get moonshine or the fact that he admitted that he left and got moonshine without any sign of regret.

"Well yeah it could have been drugs and not moonshine, besides look on the bright side-" Tyran begins but Mickele cuts in in his mid-sentence.

"WHAT BRIGHT SIDE, HOW CAN THERE BE A FU-FREAKING BRIGHT SIDE TO ANY OF THAT?" Mickele demands as Tyran sighs and thinks a moment.

"Like the fact that you…um give me a minute I'll think of one." Tyran answers and rubs his chin trying to think of an upside while Mickele just stares at him blankly. "Okay I got nothin." He finally says as his shoulders droop.

"You know sometimes I wonder about you Ty…" Alma sighs shaking her head as she covered her eyes with her hand in disappointment. "But aside from that William are ya gonna help us get in or not?" She asks in a serious tone.

"Well that was the main reason why I came here though I did not plan on getting shouted at by the young lady over there." William answers as he points to Scarlet who sends him a cold glare. "I meant no offense!" He says holding his hands up.

"Of course you didn't so just how exactly do you plan on getting us in?" Scarlet skeptically asks with an eyebrow raised in question and a scowl on her face.

"Are they seriously going to trust this guy?" Ace softly whispers to Tres looking at him then the group in disbelief. "He's a vampire! We can't trust him no matter how polite he is!" She quietly barks glaring at William.

"Affirmative but he is offering to help us get inside and it may take less time to get Shadow and leave if he does than other wise." Tres calmly answers watching as Scarlet and William talk a moment and Mickele barks something to William after he says something about his and Tyran's argument.

"I am truly sorry I meant no disrespect!" William says backing away from Mickele who continued to scold him until Tyran stopped him and even then kept sending William glares until Tyran smacked him in the head and the two got into another small argument.

"Besides he shows no signs of being a major threat." Tres continues in a calm monotone voice watching with a blank expression. "Though he has indicated that he is the leader of these Methuselah he must be hiding his true power." He comments watching as William laughs nervously and then looks at Tres smiles brightly and waves at him.

"Hello there!" William politely calls to Tres waving at him only to earn him a shrug from the android. "I suppose he's not the talkative type then…" William laughs looking at Tyran who shrugs watching William carefully, hiding his confusion as to why he was acting so polite.

"Don't ask me I hardly know the dude but I have a question and I'm sure we've all been wondering but how are YOU the leader of these vampires?" Tyran asks emphasizing the word you to William who looked away and smiled a nervous smile. "Well you sort of said you were the leader so explain how." He continues watching as William nods.

"That I did, that I did…well the others follow me doesn't that make sense? Perhaps you and your friends would rather see how I wish to help you get inside?" William asks trying to change the topic shocking Tyran a moment at the fact that he had asked him.

"Uh….yeah I guess that makes sense." Tyran says in confusion glancing back at the others who shrug. _Somehow I doubt they just follow him he's probably not telling us the full truth which begs the question can we even trust him especially since he changed the subject. _He thinks closing his eyes and sighs.

"Well if you will just follow me I will show you." William confidently says turning around and walks toward the corner of the building and silently scolds himself. _I believe saying that may have just lost what little trust he had in me and if he doesn't trust me the others won't trust me either…my luck is really poor today. _He thinks looking over his shoulder and sees the Tyran talking to the other three Guardians and lets out a hopeless sigh. "There's no way they'll trust me now." He sighs leaning against the wall.

"Well do ya'll think we can trust him?" Alma asks them in a soft tone looking at William and gives him a kind smile and he smiles back. "I mean he seems nice enough and I trust him plus he'll help us find Shadow." She explains looking back at the group.

"I don't know he doesn't seem that bad so I guess I kind of trust him and you're right he could help us if nothing else." Mickele says shrugging as Scarlet and Tyran look at each other with disapproving looks.

"I say no." Scarlet states bluntly, crossing her arms glaring at William out of the corner of her eye then looks back at the group. "I don't trust him one bit for one thing he's a vamp and another he's their leader so why should we believe him, for all we know he could be leading us into a trap!" She says pointing over her shoulder toward William with her thumb.

"Scarlet's right we have no idea if he's telling the truth and I doubt the other vamps just follow him like he said they did he's strong but he's hiding it." Tyran agrees glancing at William a moment then shakes his head in disbelief. "Why do you two even trust him?" He asks Alma and Mickele.

"Well that's exactly why." Alma states stubbornly as she crosses her arms and looks at him with a determined expression then sighs when all the others give her confused faces. "If he is as strong as I think he is then why lure us to a trap why not attack us now or even if it is a trap why all of us? Why not just one at a time and tell the others he can help us find the ones missing until he has us all?" She calmly asks looking at the others who think a moment before sighing. "Please Ty, Scarlet please just trust 'im it'll save us a lot of time having him lead us in then trying to find a way in." She pleads her hands clasped together. _Don't be this stubborn I know you're cautious because of how Shadow's been acting but come'n please! _She mentally adds on looking at the two with a pitiful face.

"Fine." Tyran scoffs standing straight up and looks at William who looked at him expectantly. "We'll go but you make one wrong move an' yer gonna regret it." Tyran warns then looks back at Ace and Tres. "If ya'll don't wanna come ya'll don't have to." He tells them in a calm voice. _I don't see the point in makin' them come when they're obviously not happy with us excluding them. _He thinks waiting for them to answer.

"No!" Ace barks at him surprising him and continues in a loud tone, "you are not just going to bring us here use us as bait and then leave while we stand out here waiting! We're coming with you guys, besides if that vamp is lying then the more you have the easier it'll be to beat him!" Ace barks at him and he nods with a smile.

"Hey the bait thing worked and ya'll weren't ever in harm's way." Tyran jokes then turns to William and smirks. "Well lead the way." He says to William who looks at him and nods a soft polite smile on his face.

"Right this way we'll have to go through the tunnels but once inside I will help you find Shadow." William explains and leads them to the door he had come out of earlier. "Now then…you open it by…oh pushing this stone." He talks to himself and pushes a stone stepping back as the door slowly opens and he walks inside the darkness. "I don't suppose one of you has a torch or fire?" He jokingly asks. _Perhaps I haven't lost all their trust…that's the main thing I need otherwise Shadow won't help me. _He thinks and quietly sighs a sigh of relief

"Actually I do!" Alma chirps as a flame appears in the palm of her hand and illuminates the darkened tunnel. "Onward we go!" She exclaims taking the lead into the darkness that ran from her light.

"Wait you have no idea where to go you will end up lost wondering around the tunnels!" William exclaims chasing after her and the others follow after him sighing. "Hang on don't run so fast!" They hear William shout in the distance chasing after Alma the others tried to keep up so they wouldn't be left in the dark.

"Why does she always do that?" Tyran sighs running alongside Scarlet with Mickele behind them. "The last time she did that she ran into a spider and we ended up rolling down the hill!" He barks and smacks his forehead with his hand. _For all we know that William could have a trap set up down here since he knows these tunnels so well. _He thinks a soft growl escaping his throat as he tried to keep up with the two.

"I don't know that's just what she does you know that Tyran she goes wherever she wants even if she has no idea where she is." Scarlet says laughing then looks back at Mickele. "Like that one time in London when Mickele was running from the cops again and ended up in the tunnels he got so lost but he was determined to find his way on his own that is until Nox went and found him then brought him back all drenched because of the rain." She laughs as Tyran laughs with her and Mickele shouts at them to shut up while his face flushed red.

"AHHHH!" They hear a piercing scream and the small light from Alma's fading flame suddenly goes out.

_Alma dang it I knew we couldn't trust that guy! _Tyran thinks speeding up and runs straight into the darkness with the others behind him trying to catch up. Scarlet manages to catch up and pass him but none of the others aside from Tres saw William in the dark and slam into him knocking him to the ground and land in a pile with Tres looking at in a moment then into the darkness where Alma's scream came from.

"Ow…I believe this is what humans call a dog pile." William grumbles from the floor and then they see Alma run back and hide behind Tres. "What is that scared you so much you had to scream and run, I was worried that there may have perhaps been someone down here and they attacked you." He states trying to escape from his prison of the dog pile. _Why must my luck do this I have a little bit of good luck then it's gone and something bad happens? _He thinks trying to get out from the pile enough to where he could breathe right.

"Well there was this big spider!" Alma explains and forms another flame then throws it to the ceiling so it floats there and floods the tunnel with light. "And I didn't see it well I ran straight into its web and it fell on me!" She loudly cries then starts to shake her hair and pat down her arms.

"Get off of me you guys weigh a ton!" Scarlet shouts from her position on top of William and starts to try to push the others off of her. "You mean you screamed because a spider fell on you?" She asks looking at Alma who nods and then sighs. "Okay I won't lie I would have done the same thing." She mumbles under her breath and continues to try to get the others off of her.

"Sorry not my fault you and Tyran stopped." Ace states as she climbs off and stands beside Tres and Alma who was still trying to get the spider which had fallen off when she took off running, out of her hair or off of her clothes. "Um…Alma I don't think the spider is on you anymore." She says after a few moments of watching Alma continue to freak out.

"I know but now I'm itching all over!" Alma whines scratching her arms and starts to quietly whimper. "I hate spiders especially when they land on me then you have to itch all day and it's so weird!" She whines and starts to rub her arms then looks over to William who was slowly standing up and popping his back. "Why didn't ya tell me there were spiders down here? I think that would have been nice to know!" She demands glaring at him. _Of course he wouldn't know I was scared of them but still it would've been a good idea to warn us in case! _She thinks as she scowls at him.

"I didn't think you would be scared of spiders." William answers then shakes his head in disbelief. "I can't believe someone as powerful as a Guardian would be scared of a mere spider they won't hurt you." He playfully laughs giving Alma a big pat on the back. "I believe that next time I will warn you of any bugs." He says and turns to continue the way. "Well we should be going don't you think so the sooner the better is that not what you say?" He asks as the others nod and they continue their through the tunnel Alma staying close to Tyran or Scarlet mainly Tyran because Scarlet would lie to her and tell her she saw a spider on her back or head. _It is amazing at how they act even though they are around me someone they have very little trust in yet…they still manage to act so normal not like the humans I've met who run or at the very least threaten me… _William sadly thinks looking at the ground in front of him as he kept an even twenty paces in front of the group but smiled at their conversations and Alma's reaction to Ace's and Scarlet's teasing.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

"Ya'll sure ya'll know which way yer goin'?" Shadow asks still leaning against Abel trying to recover from the shock that Andrew gave him. "Cause I may not've been here for that long but I think ya'll are lost." He continues looking around at the tall arch ways and then looks at Abel. _I feel so stupid I still can't walk straight from the shock that stinkin' vamp. _He thinks and lets out a soft sigh.

"We aren't lost we know where we're going." Eva stubbornly says looking back at Shadow a moment with sympathy noticing he was still limping and looked like he was about to pass out. "Are you alright, do you need to rest or something?" She asks him in a concerned tone.

"The only thing I need is to get this stupid collar off." Shadow scoffs then closes his eyes. "But thanks for asking." He adds after a few seconds of silence. _Man…I'm so tired but I don't know these people so I can't just say "gee thanks I would like to nap while you strangers drag me around." Can I? _He thinks trying to stay awake and lets out a loud yawn before his head droops.

_Those shocks must have taken their toll on him, he's about to pass out…and the sad part is he doesn't trust us enough so he's trying to stay awake. Of course I can understand why he wouldn't trust us having only met us a few moments ago… _Abel thinks glancing down at Shadow when he suddenly feels him drop and barely catches him. "Shadow?" He asks in a concerned tone but notices Shadow had fallen asleep.

"I wonder if we can just wake him up. What do you guys think?" Eva ponders out loud and pokes Shadow in the face hoping for a reaction but gets none. "Or not…he's gone no use trying to wake him up." She says after she had poked him several times before Abel waved her hand away.

"So we noticed…I suppose the only thing we can do is to carry him since we should really be on our way and don't know where we're going." Abel says as he puts Shadow on his back piggy back style. "I think that's good what do you guys think?" He asks everyone with a bright smile on his face waiting for an answer.

"Um…I don't think he is going to like it when he wakes up and finds himself on your back." Leon states with his arms crossed shaking his head at Abel.

"I suppose that's true he didn't seem to trust us but if we find the others he may not be mad." Esther softly says looking at the three then shrugs when they give her a bewildered look. "When I met him earlier he seemed like he really wanted to see the others so he may not be that mad if he wakes up and we've found them." She says with a nervous smile and laughs softly. _Of course I could be wrong and he may be madder. _She thinks as she rubs the back of her neck nervously.

"That makes sense!" Eva chirps after a second the swirls to face Abel with a big beaming smile. "Let's go find them before he wakes up it'll be like a game!" She laughs jumping up and down with pure joy. "Whoever finds them first has to get something for a prize." She says looking at the group and laughs.

"What do you mean by prize what could we get by finding the others before anyone else?" Leon scoffs and clicks his tongue in annoyance at Eva whose smile only broadens and she laughs.

"Good point maybe the winner can pick their prize when they win?" Eva calmly asks in deep thought and smiles. "Yep that's it that will be the prize. The winner will get to pick whatever they want as their prize." She states with a quick nod of her head and looks at the others.

"I guess that's the best thing we can do." Leon sighs with a shrug and the other two nod in agreement as Eva claps her hands then does her little victory dance that consisted of jumping up and down then twirling and swirling around the group. "You are far too happy." Leon bluntly states looking at her with a concerned expression.

"I don't wanna play yer stupid game…" Shadow grumbles in his sleep then raises his head up and looks around still half asleep. "…too tired to care about stupid Nox and his stupid lessons." He mutters and falls back asleep on Abel's back as the others look at him in shock.

"He talks in his sleep…" Eva says covering her mouth to try to hide her laughter. "Wait until he wakes up and I tell him that!" She laughs patting Abel on the side then yelps when Shadow smacks her on her head and glares at her.

"Shut up! Yer a real jerk ya know that?" Shadow barks at her his eyes narrowed at her as she laughs and scoots away from him. "Not like you don't do weird things in yer sleep leave me alone dang." He grumbles under his breath and rubs the sleep out of his eye then leans his head on Abel's back and goes back to sleep. "Yer a comfy pillow…" He murmurs as he falls asleep.

"I guess he's not a deep sleeper." Abel says laughing softly at Shadow who was back asleep.

"Or he just wakes up at the wrong times." Leon grumbles with his arms crossed as he shakes his head and looks at Eva who was whimpering and holding her head. "Aren't you overreacting a bit?" He asks her giving her disapproving look.

"No he hit on the head and it hurt!" Eva whines as she continues to hold her head in pain with tears brimming. "He hits hard!" She continues in a loud whining voice then glares at Shadow a moment. "I hope he has a nightmare." She grumbles crossing her arms and looks away a sullen look on her face.

… … …

"MICKELE YOU IDIOT I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING!" I shout at Mickele as we run through the streets as fast as we can. I look back a moment and see the police on our tails with their batons waving in the air and the only word to describe their expressions is pure rage.

"I KNOW BUT IT WAS SO SHINY AND I JUST BARELY TOUCHED IT THEN IT FELL OVER AND SHATTERED!" Mickele shouts as the tears freely flow from his face and I drag him into a slim alley that we barely fit into. _He just had to touch the priceless doll didn't he? _I think shaking my head and let out a heavy sigh. "WHAT'S THAT-" He demands but stops when I send him a dark glare.

"Shhh, they'll hear you!" I hiss at him covering his mouth with my hand and watch the police rush by not even bothering to look in the alley because they weren't paying attention. "Heh, heh gets them every time." I chuckle softly and look back at Mickele who was standing a little ways away his head down with his hair in his eyes. "Don't worry about it Mike accidents happen just be more careful next time." I say walking over to him and place my hand on his shoulders.

"I know but it always seems that whenever I go somewhere I end up being chased by the police…I hate it." Mickele says looking away as I sigh and look back at the alley's opening.

"That's just how you view it like Nox tells me every time 'perception is reality' which means what you think is how it is." I say trying to sound wise but I end up sounding like I'm trying to give him a scolding which I'm not. "Just a few words of wisdom for you nothing else." I continue trying to make it sound less like a scolding.

"I know that I'm not dumb!" Mickele barks at me his fist are clenched which means he took it the wrong way. _Why does this always happen to me? _I think trying to decide whether I should ignore him or run away before he snaps. "Or do you think I am Shadow?" He demands glaring at me his hazel eyes were burning with rage and disdain. _Too late he's snapped. _I think groaning as I prepare for the rant.

"I don't think you're dumb Mike I just tried to give you a few words of advice that's it nothing more." I calmly say holding my hands up to show him that I really didn't mean to insult him but of course he takes that the wrong way too. _Man today is not my day… _I think wishing I can take the words back but it's too late.

"Sure keep telling yourself that." Mickele coldly says turning his back on me and takes off toward the entrance then in a flash he's gone and I'm left alone in the alley regretting I said anything.

"Stupid…" I sigh feeling my eye twitch as stand there fuming at how he took what was supposed to be helpful advice. "I am a total idiot." I growl and quickly follow him trying to catch up but of course since he's so much faster than me and controls wind, plus the wind there isn't a way in heck I can catch him.

… … …

"It seems like your wish didn't come true Eva." Abel kindly says looking at Shadow over his shoulder and smiled when he saw that he was still asleep. "He seems to be sleeping peacefully." He chuckles softly as Eva groans and looks away with a pouting look on her face.

"But he hit me on the head for no reason!" Eva complains but quickly gets over it and continues down the hall looking for any enemies that may have been lurking around the corners. "I don't see anyone where do you guys think they went?" She asks looking back at the group a moment then continues to search.

"Who knows, but I know I don't care." Leon grumbles shrugging his shoulders in a bored manner. "As long as they aren't here we don't have to worry about being chased especially since he's asleep." He continues pointing to Shadow who merely mutters something in audible in his sleep.

"That is a good point it would be bad if we got chased while Shadow was sleeping…" Abel muses turning the corner that Eva had scoped out to make sure the passage was safe. "He seems very capable at defending himself but with that collar on he is limited." He continues looking at the collar and shakes his head. _But I'm almost certain there are other ways to keep subdued so why would they use a collar and a shock one? _He thinks and looks at Eva when she and Leon stop in the middle of the hallway.

… … …

"MICKELE COME ON IT WASN'T MEANT TO BE BAD ADVICE!" I call cupping my hands over my mouth and shout again hoping I could maybe convince him to come out but no he's being a stupid jerk of a kid and stays hidden. _Why that little I swear after I find him I will show him what I'm like when I want to scold him. _I think in irritation with my fists clenched to my side.

"Excuse me mister, but could you help me?" A little girl asks tugging my shirt to get my attention. I look at her a moment and see she had on clothes of an aristocratic family but something was different her eyes were going everywhere like she was in trouble._ And this day just gets better…might as well as help her since shouting for Mike isn't helping me any. _I glumly think in annoyance then look back at the young girl. _Which means her parents are around here…somewhere right? They wouldn't leave their daughter wondering the streets. _I think looking around for anyone that looked similar to her.

"Sure why not I have time what do you need help with?" I ask her forgetting about Mickele a moment and kneel down to her eye level. _Maybe she's lost it would make sense since she's looking around everywhere. _I think glancing at the crowd to see if anyone recognized her.

"There are these big mean men chasing me. I got away from them but now I'm lost I want my mommy and daddy." She tells me in a quiet voice on the verge of tears. _Well the day just got better I have to help a lost kid that-wait did she say she was being chased? _I think looking at her in astonishment and surprise.

"How did you get away from these big mean men?" I ask her curious to know how a small girl managed to escape. "Did they hurt you any?" I ask again gently taking her face and carefully examine it looking for any signs of injury. "Where are the men how'd they get you away from your parents?" I continue asking any questions that came to mind until I saw four large men appear in the archway that was far from us.

"I was playing by the lake and they took me…I got away because the wind knocked them over but before he could get me away they attacked him and I-ran." She whimpers on the verge of tears with her mouth trembling. _The wind? He? Did Mickele try to save this little girl? _I think taken back a moment, I look away to the men and see the one in the far back had Mickele draped over his shoulder. _Well that answers that question Mickele tried to help her and got overpowered by those thugs. _I think as I stand up and gently push the girl behind me to protect her when the men spot her and start whispering to each other.

"It's okay at least you got away." I soothingly say looking back at her a moment then glare at the men in front of me. "I need you to run away as far from here as you can go find your parents. I will make sure these men don't follow you." I calmly say in a reassuring tone to the young girl. "Go now." I order not looking back to make sure she'd listen as I take off toward the men.

"Here comes another idiot like that kid." The largest one states laughing at me not paying attention to me when I launch myself at him and land a flying kick to his face strong enough that he steps backwards and falls backward. "YOU BRAT!" He shouts at me his face red with rage as he glares at me with his beady eyes. "GET HIM AND THE STUPID KID!" He shouts thrusting a hand in my direction as the others lunge at me. _He must be the leader. _I think quickly looking at one of the two then the other and jump into the air to dodge their charge making them smash into each other.

"That has to be the oldest trick in the book and you two fell for it you guys are the idiots not me for falling for that." I snicker smirking at them as I land on the ground and dodge the leader's punch that came flying from the back somewhere. "What you don't have any better way to hit me than sneaking up on me?" I mock him as I easily dodge his second blow.

"You would dare mock me-Ricardo?" Ricardo demands fuming as he glares at me and I imagine him foaming at the mouth like a rabid animal. "Is something funny?" He demands in a booming voice after I laugh at the image of him as a dog running around barking at everyone.

"Yeah actually something is, you." I state snickering at him as I push the image aside and glare at the one that had stood away from it all with Mickele over his shoulder. "I'll tell you this once and only once-OOF!" I grunt as Ricardo's fist connects with my jaw and I go flying right into some of the merchants stands. "Ugh at least have the decency to let me finish what I was going to say." I growl shaking off the exotic fruit and glare at him.

"AHAHAHA!" Ricardo laughs a booming laugh that makes my ears ring not noticing the blank look I sent him. "Now that was funny you went flying like a rag doll!" He mocks as he continues to laugh and his lackeys join in too. _Laugh all you want ugly. _I think feeling my anger boil as I stand up and try to get as much of the juices off as possible.

"Next time I am saying something 'Ricardo' do not interrupt me." I darkly say walking over to him in a calm manner noticing he had stopped laughing and was now giving me a confused look. "Are you too dumb to understand what I said?" I ask trying to get on his nerves. "You must be otherwise you wouldn't have that stupid look on your face." I continue squaring up to him when I reach him and we have a stare down.

"What was that you brat?" He asks his yellow teeth gritted and his hands balled into massive fists with a look of sheer rage on his face. "First you insult me now you call me stupid?" He asks in a strained tone as I stand there merely glaring at him.

"I believe they are the same thing now I will only tell you this once release the boy and forget about the girl or suffer." I command in a dark threatening tone not recognizing my own tone. "Can you understand that or was that too fast for a log head like you?" I ask after a moment when he doesn't answer me.

"No I understood you perfectly I was just thinking that I don't like that idea, how about this one you get your friend and you two go off on your own business while I get the girl or better yet you leave without your friend or the girl before you need a doctor." He bluntly answers with a sick smirk on his face…the rest is a blur I remember retorting something then he attacked me and after that's it all goes blank.

"Shadow?" I hear someone call from a distance as I stand surrounded in utter darkness. "Shadow?" They ask again as I feel myself being pulled back and begin to recognize the voice. "Shadow wake up, come on we have to get out of here." They say in a slightly panicked voice shaking me. They continue for a few moments until I finally open my eyes to meet the blinding sun of mid-afternoon.

"Mickele? What happened?" I ask him my head pounding as I look around and see Ricardo and his other lackeys lying unconscious on the cobbled street. I looked at Ricardo carefully and noticed his nose was bleeding and his mouth was bloody. "What happened to them?" I ask pointing to Ricardo in confusion my mind still a bit hazy.

"Don't worry about it come on we have to leave now." He calmly says helping me up and starts to head far away from the square when I remember the girl and stop. "Shadow we don't have time come on." He growls at me through gritted teeth.

"The girl I have to make sure she's alright." I say letting go of his shoulder and quickly head back to the square still dazed about what happened. _Why's he acting so panicked? _I think as I head back and stop at the square scanning it for the girl when I see her with two adults that were hugging her and had tears. _Those must be her parents…at least she's safe. _I think smiling at the girl looking back when Mickele rounds the corner and grabs my shirt. "I had to make sure she was alright." I try to explain to him as he starts to drag me off.

"You could have done that later right now we have to leave!" Mickele suddenly snaps at me and continues to drag me off. I too shocked at the fact that he snapped at me to stop and ask him more about what happened. "Shadow, come on!" He barks again surprising me again. _Wow he must be pretty mad… _I think blinking a few times as we enter the dark archways that lead to our home.

"There you two are where have you been the bells have been ringing and I know you two had something to do with it." Nox scolds as we reach the gates and he jumps down in front of us. "Well don't think that Alitura will help you get out of this." He continues then stops and looks at Mickele and eyebrow raised. "Why are you fidgeting like you have just been caught?" He asks Mickele his dark eyes narrowed at him and his arms crossed.

"I have to go talk to Alitura about something you need to talk to Shadow." Mickele boldly states brushing past Nox not looking back at me. _Wow…he seriously acts like Tyran when he's mad. _I think shaking my head and look at Nox who was giving me a questioning look.

"I honestly have no idea about what he wants you to talk to me about." I explain raising my hands up in and shrug my shoulders watching as Nox sighs and shakes his head then smiles and laughs softly. "That's never good when you smile AND laugh at the same time so what are you thinking?" I ask him ignoring the dark glare he gives me.

"Be quiet." Nox orders but I know he's playing by how he laughs when he says it and ruffles my hair. "If you want to know I was thinking about…" He tells me leaning down and whispers the rest of his plan in my ear so no one else hears. "Now do you want to go with me?" He asks after he is done and waits for my answers.

"You know we are going to be killed if she catches us don't you Nox?" I ask him as we walk under the archway and head to Alitura's chambers. "Nox you do know that right?" I ask again in an uncertain tone when he doesn't answer me I sigh and shake my head.

"Shhh come on we're close you have to be extremely quiet or she will hear us then both of us will get our asses chewed out." Nox whispers to me holding a finger over his mouth to emphasize the quiet part, I nod and continue to sneak down the quiet halls careful to not make a sound with my shoes and lower my breathing.

"…I cannot…unbelievable." I hear Mickele's voice coming from the cracked door that was Alitura's chambers and notice Nox suddenly stiffen up then glance at me. _What's wrong can he hear them better than me? _I think looking at him in confusion and watch as he shakes it off and we reach the door hiding behind one of the pillars so no one saw us.

"What do you mean you cannot believe it was Shadow? What was so unbelievable about it Mickele that made you fear him?" I hear Alitura ask in shock and confusion and look at Nox with a questioning look at the last sentence. _Fear who, me? _I think shaking my head at the thought.

"Just that Alitura he lost control and I just can't find the words that would fit how it looked…" Mickele shakily says and I hear him take a few breaths to calm himself. I'm struck with the words he says though. I look back at Nox hoping for him to say something that would prove him wrong but…he only continues to listen and I see his entire body tensed up.

"Mickele calm down please try to continue." Alitura calmly says in her usual calm but commanding voice but I notice that it seemed stressed like she was trying to hide another emotion.

"Okay…he attacked the men that had been holding a young girl captive but she escaped when I helped her and she ran into Shadow…I don't know what they did that pushed Shadow so far as to lose control of his powers but when I came too he was holding Ricardo up by the neck of his shirt and-and it wasn't Shadow it was like it was another person!" Mickele shouts and I can clearly hear the fear in his voice. I shake my head in disbelief and step back then before Nox could do anything I take off down the corridor trying to get away…

I run for what feels like hours the sun was slowly sinking down leaving the world to sleep and then rise again in the morning. I watch the river as it rushes past the grass where I sat gazing into its depths confused about earlier. _Lost control? _I think resting my head on my arms that were crossed over my knees as I tried to figure out what had happened but to no success it was all a blur after Ricardo threw me into the fruit stand.

"I figured I would find you here." I hear Alma tease in a playful tone. I look back and see that she is in her usual aristocratic dress that I would describe the color of the setting sun mixed with roses. "Why are you looking at me like that do I look odd?" She asks carefully walking down the slight slope and kneels beside me. "What's wrong you look like you just saw a ghost?" She asks in a concerned tone and sits down looking at me with her soft brown eyes that held compassion.

"I want to ask you something and want you to answer truthfully." I say after a few moments of watching the river flow by and looking at the small spring time flowers that were slowly making their presence known after the harsh winter.

"Okay if it will get me an answer for why you look so glum then I say ask away." She happily says in a soothing tone as I look back to the edge of the darkened city checking to see that no one else was around.

"Do you think that I could ever be a monster?" I ask her looking away from her to avoid her confused look.

"No why, what brought about that question?" She asks me after a few moments of silence and I take a deep breath to explain.

"I can't exactly remember what happened but there was this girl she came to me for help and then these thugs appeared and I told the girl to run but then I stayed behind to stop the thugs…that's the part that gets fuzzy they were taunting me and threw me into a fruit stand…I think I blacked out because when I came too Mickele was telling me we had to leave right then." I try to explain but keep pausing to try to hide the tears that brim my eyes making the water and flowers blurs. "Right after I woke up I saw one of the thugs, their leader Ricardo lying there on the ground and his face covered in blood…I think I did it." I finally end it and look at Alma waiting to hear her call me a monster or some other foul beast.

"I see…" She softly says looking up at the sky that was beginning to fill with stars that shined like jewels caught in the sun's rays. "That's a normal thing that happens when your power surges." She finally says after a few long moments of just looking at the stars as if searching for an answer.

"So it's normal? I am not turning into a monster or losing control?" I ask in a hopeful and relieved voice feeling a smile edge its way to my face when it suddenly disappears at the image of seeing Ricardo and his lackeys. "Then…I really did lose control even for a few moments…" I whisper in despair and hang my head I hear a slight shuffle and know Alma's probably getting up to leave but I don't expect her to hug me. "Huh?" I ask in shock looking at her in confusion.

"Shadow, don't be such an idiot it happens to everyone its completely natural our powers don't stay the same they grow as we do, but sometimes just as growth spurts it moves faster than we do but we lose control until it goes back to a level we can control." She calmly explains as she hugs me and I recover from the immediate shock.

"So…I do not have to worry about that anymore?" I ask in a hopeful tone looking at her hoping the answer would be no but I the feeling that it's yes.

"You will which is probably why Nox was looking for you so he could tell you this." She says smiling her kind smile and laughs softly then stands up and pulls me up. "Now come on let's get back I want to change out of this accursed dress." She huffs walking up the small slope with me beside her.

"Thanks…Alma I guess I was a bit worried no one ever told me about any of that before and I thought that it was an illness or something." I say clutching my dark blue tunic and sigh softly. "I'm glad it wasn't." I say in a quiet almost inaudible tone.

"Shadow, Shadow, Shadow, what am I going to do with you?" She asks in a joking manner looking back at me over her shoulder. "I can see where you are coming from I kind of got worried when Ignis and Lu told me about that." She says and laughs a bright laugh that lit up the dark night. "So do not fret and do not be stupid." She bluntly states completely ruining the mood.

… … …

"I'm not stupid…" Shadow murmurs in his sleep moving his head to the other side of Abel's back and let's out small yawn then raises his head up and looks around blowing his wild hair out of his eyes. "Is it morning already?" He drowsily asks before he begins to remember where he was and blinks a few times in shock when he realizes he is on Abel's back. "AH!" He shouts quickly jumping off and stumbles into one of the pillars then trips and falls backwards landing on his butt.

"Wow I guess your nap is over." Eva laughs at him and pats him on the back noticing he had a distant look. "Are you okay?" She asks in a concerned tone.

"Fine." Shadow quickly says jumping up and stretches his arms as he lets out a might yawn. "Just a bit tired." He says as he continues to stretch and then looks at Abel and the others. "What?" He asks defensively.

"Nothing but we should get going before they find us." Esther calmly says pointing to the corridor behind her.

"Yeah makes sense." Shadow says sifting his hand through his hair and rubs the sleep out of his eyes. "How long was I out?" He asks walking alongside Esther who was behind Abel and Leon with Eva beside her.

"I don't know maybe about thirty minutes or more." Esther says as they continue down the quiet hallway, she looks at Shadow after a few moments passed and he didn't reply. "Are you okay?" She asks noticing he had the same distant look as before.

"Yep but I'll be even better when we get this stupid collar off of me." Shadow answers in a quick and curtly tone. "Hey, tall dude how much longer until we find the exit?" He suddenly asks poking Abel's back to let him know he was talking to him.

"You know my name is Abel right?" He asks in confusion looking over his shoulder at Shadow who nodded and shrugged his shoulders.

"So I think tall dude is suiting for ya." Shadow bluntly states and compares their heights. "See yer like two feet higher than me!" He says showing the differences between the two and then scratches the back of his head. "So do you know how far until we find the exit?" He asks again earning him a sigh from Abel and the others.

"I like that name!" Eva suddenly pipes up startling everyone then gives Abel a wide smile. "Your new name is tall dude!" She cheers jumping up and down then sees Shadow smack his face. "What?" She asks in confusion.

"I was joking ya know that right? I wasn't really gonna call 'im tall dude for long." Shadow explains and shakes his head at Eva. "You remind me way to much of Rose she was just as happy and chipper as you are." He says as an added note not really meaning to say it out loud.

"Was?" Eva asks looking at him in confusion and tilts her head to the side. "What do you mean by was?" She continues and notices Shadow visibly tense up.

"Forget it alright, forget I ever mentioned it." He says shaking his head and speeds up to pass the group. "Come'n we don't have all day Isis is probably having a cow by now anyways." He states trying to get the group to move quicker.

"Okay…" Eva says her smile vanishing from her face as she and Esther exchange worried looks. "I wonder why it's such a touchy topic for him." She asks Esther in a soft quiet tone.

"I don't know but I guess it would be best to not mention it anymore." Esther whispers back to Eva and the two nods in silent agreement and the group continues in silence following carefully behind Shadow.


	24. Chapter 24

_**Okay sorry for taking so long in writing this I've been busy with you know it being summer vacation and all plus I haven't really had time to work on my stories that much. Well as you know I do not own anyone, place, or thing from the Trinity Blood series =). Alrighty then onto the story!**_

**Chapter 24**

"Okay I'll bite how much longer till we get out of these stupid tunnels?" Tyran asks William as they follow closely behind him with Alma and Scarlet right by Tyran's side. "WILL YOU TWO STOP BEIN' SCARDY CATS?" He barks at them making them jump in shock then go back to his side. "I give up." He sighs smacking his face. _Why're they so scared anyways? _He thinks in growing annoyance.

"There are spiders in here!" Alma squeaks after a few moments of silence as she and Scarlet walk behind Tyran huddled together both on the lookout for any spiders that may have been lurking in the dark corners of the tunnels.

"Are you serious you have a fear of spiders?" Ace asks in amazement as she walks beside Tres and shakes her head in disbelief. "You have got to be joking." She adds rolling her eyes at the two.

"Actually we aren't joking and it's not so much a fear more like a very intense dislike for them and plus if you run into one of their webs it feels like they're crawling all over you for the rest of the day." Alma explains looking back at Ace then looks at William. "How much further I-uh…" She stops in midsentence when a spider slowly slides down its web to in front of Scarlet's face.

"Scarlet don't freak out." Tyran says in a stern tone then makes a soft wave of his hand and the spider blows onto the wall. "See don't worry no spider." He says patting her on the back and smiles widely.

"William, how much further until we reach the end?" Scarlet asks in a slightly high voice hugging Alma tightly.

"If I had realized you two had such a big fear of spiders I would have tried to find another-

"No it's fine just fine but how much further?" Scarlet asks again not meaning to interrupt William and smiles brightly when he raises his eyebrow in question.

"If you insist we should almost be there." He says as they walk down the corridor in silence for almost thirty minutes until he stops and looks back at them with a polite smile on his face. "I told you it wasn't much further." He confidently says as he pushes the wall and it slowly opens.

"FRESH AIR!" Alma and Scarlet shout at once and rush outside of the tunnel which is quickly followed by two large THUNKS then a few yelps of surprise.

"Oww…like the collar wasn't enough now I was just thrown to the ground like a dang ragdoll." Shadow growls as he lay sprawled across the smooth stone floor a red mark slowly forming on his face.

"Sorry not my fault that there were like a ton a-Shadow?" Alma asks in shock once she sits up from her position of in front of the entrance a mark forming on her forehead where she and Shadow had collided.

"Yeah the one an' only- my head hurts like heck." He growls rising up and freezes when he sees Alma looking at him wide eyed and Scarlet beside her staring at him in shock and surprise. "Alma, how'd ya'll get here?" He asks looking behind them and sees their small group in the doorway with William in front. "William?" He nearly shouts in shock then looks at William and Alma then back again. "How-wha…why? Huh?" Shadow babbles trying to figure out the right question to ask but it all comes out sounding like gibberish.

"I know what you are thinking Shadow and frankly I will explain after but I suppose you and your friends would like to leave now correct?" William asks Shadow calmly walking out of the path entrance and helps Alma up while Tyran helped Scarlet. "Wait I think it would be better to get that accursed thing off of your neck, would you not agree?" William asks Shadow pulling a key out from a small pouch around his waist and walks over to Shadow.

_Is he serious? He's gonna take it off? _Shadow thinks in shock and surprise. "Why take it off won't you and the other vamps need it later on when I wanna get back at ya'll?" Shadow asks tilting his head to the side his eyebrows knitted together in mock concern.

"I am sure you are not that kind of person, now hold still so I can get it off." William coolly answers calling Shadow's bluff and takes the collar of quickly and smiles when he stands up and holds the collar in the air.

"HAHA! IT'S OFF, IT'S OFF AT LAST!" Shadow joyfully shouts jumping up and down. "My neck itches like heck!" He shouts after a few moments and starts to scratch his neck. "Ya know when ya get like a cast off an' it itches more than it ever has before?" He asks to no one as he continues to scratch his neck that had marks from the collar.

"I suppose but I do believe I have never had the need for a cast." William says blinking a few times in shock as he shakes his head at Shadow and then looks at Eva and the others. "It is a pleasure to meet all of you, my name is William." He introduces himself to the group holding his hand out.

"Uh…yeah nice to meet you too." Eva says and looks at Abel and the others as she shakes William's hand a smile on her face. "My name's Eva!" She chirps happily as she wildly shakes William's hand jerking his arm up and down.

"Aren't you the chirpy one?" William asks moving his hand after Eva releases it and nods to Eva as he holds his wrist. "Quite the grip you have there." He says moving his wrist a few moments then turns to Abel and holds his hand out. "You are Abel Nightroad correct? I have heard many things about you." He politely says to Abel.

"AH! I'M SO HAPPY!" Shadow shouts having a face of pure bliss as he rubs his neck and moves his head side to side. "It feels so good to have that stupid collar off! Now I won't have to worry about gettin' shocked!" He laughs trying to contain his joy of freedom. _I don't care if there are complete strangers watching it feels so good to have that off! _He thinks as he finally starts to settle down.

"And I thought Eva was happy, you just broke the mold I had for way too happy." Mickele says looking at Shadow with a bright smile.

"Oh be quiet not my fault that stupid vamp shocked me every chance he got!" Shadow barks at him rubbing his neck's bruises then looks at Tyran and waves with a bright smile on his face. "Long time no see!" He chirps brightly then looks at Mickele. "See what happens when you want to get yer stupid vodka?" He says poking Mickele in the chest.

"Oh like this is just my fault you're the one that wanted to go look at the back of the house!" Mickele barks back the two going nose to nose with sparks flying between them.

"Point taken but who's the one that decided to go to town today though?" Shadow asks him in a teasing tone then pats Mickele on the back. "Don't get so worked up." He laughs then notices Tyran's cold look toward him. _I don't think I wanna know. _He thinks smiling at Tyran.

"Okay William should we leave how we came in or what's the plan?" Alma asks as she changes the subject and sees William shake his head. "Why not?" She asks in confusion tensing up at the thought of him betraying them.

"Andrew has…blocked the way as I knew he would so it would be best if we went through the front door which shouldn't be too far." William explains pointing to where the entrance had been and the others saw it had somehow closed.

"WHAT?" Shadow quickly asks in shock and looks at William. "You mean I can't get outta this place yet?" He whines then groans. _Well it could be worse. _He thinks as he shakes his head.

"Apparently not." Ace scoffs crossing her arms then looks at William a skeptic look on her face. "You just said you knew he would block our way out but how did he manage to do it so quietly?" She asks him her eyes narrowed as she waits for an answer.

"You know Shadow I was wondering the same thing." Night suddenly says in a calm tone and laughs when Shadow jumps slightly. "Don't tell me you forgot about me?" He asks in a hurt tone laughing again when Shadow doesn't answer. "I know you want to speak with them but now may not be the right time there are a few vampires heading your way." He coolly says perched behind a pillar out of anyone's sight.

_Gee thanks for telling me-wait what? You can't be serious! _Shadow thinks mentally yelling at Night then hears steps from far away. "William I think we should run someone's coming." He says looking at William whose eyes were locked on the footsteps' direction and Shadow noticed they were narrowed and he may have been mistaken but seemed to look a bright red.

"Normally I would disagree and say I could talk to them but I am no longer in the mood to talk so I will agree and suggest that we continue down this corridor." William says his eyes flickering back to their normal polite and calm dark purple-blue. "Shall we leave?" He kindly asks a smile on his face.

_That was weird…_Shadow thinks as he turns and their group heads down the hall just as the small horde of vampires rounded the corner.

"No kidding I don't think I want to see that guy when he's mad." Night says vanishing before anyone noticed him.

"You got that right." Shadow grumbles under his breath following behind William when he hears a low rumbling noise above and look up to see earthen walls beginning to fall. "AH!" He shouts jumping out of the way of the wall that slammed down separating him, Alma, Eva, and Ace from the other group that got stuck behind the wall with the other vampires. _Grand just what I needed. _He thinks growling in annoyance.

"Great are you two alright?" Ace asks as she stands up and brushes herself off then looks at Alma and Eva ignoring Shadow who was still sprawled on the floor near the wall.

"Fine now what?" Alma asks placing her hand on the wall and puts her ear against it trying to hear something from the others but only hears silence. "I can't hear anything I guess we just have to move forward until we meet up with them." She says turning around when another wall falls and slams down right between her and the others with Shadow on her side. "Or not…" She says blinking a few times in shock as she stares at the wall.

… … …

"ALMA!" Ace and Eva shout at the same time both start to beat on the wall but quickly stop when they realize it wasn't any good. "Now what?" Ace scoffs crossing her arms as she looks at Eva her crimson eyes burning.

"Now I guess we do like Alma said move forward until we all meet up." Eva says smiling at Ace who gives her a weird look. "Don't worry nothing bad will happen to her or Shadow." She says in a reassuring tone to Ace then starts to head off in the opposite direction of the wall.

"I guess you're right but I don't really care for Shadow he's putting on an act and I don't trust him." Ace coldly states glancing back at the wall as she follows Eva down the corridor.

"What do you mean 'act', he seemed pretty genuine to me?" Eva asks in confusion stopping in the middle of the hall allowing Ace to go ahead for several feet until she looked back at Eva.

"Just that when he hired me something was different he was evil. He had this look in his eyes that scared me they looked like eyes of a starving beast waiting to be unleashed onto some innocent people." Ace says in a cold tone that held no sympathy or doubt in her words only hatred at how blind everyone seemed.

"Well maybe it wasn't him." Eva says trying to defend Shadow she didn't really know how she could explain it but she trusted him and felt that he needed someone on his side. "I trust him and I think you should too." She argues as Ace only scoffs in response then shakes her head.

"It was him but…I can't explain it something was different, the first time I saw him here I looked at him and tried to find the same expression in his eyes but it wasn't there…but I know that whoever hired me it WAS Shadow!" Ace barks in a very defensive tone then sighs when she sees Eva's calm look. "Forget it now's not the time to be arguing amongst ourselves." She sighs as she swiftly turns and storms down the hall.

"You're right." Eva says laughing a light laugh as she quickly hurries after Ace and hides the worry that was slowly crawling its way into her mind. _I know he wasn't the one who hired because whoever hired her made Tyran a puppet I could tell from the moment I saw him that something was off whoever controlled Tyran' was pure darkness, evil but Shadow isn't…he's hiding something though. _She worriedly thinks but pushes it down as she chases after Ace who had run far ahead of Eva.

… … …

"There they are-Master?" The horde's leader screeches in shock when he spots William and causes all the other vampires behind him to come to a halt and stare at William who was giving them a disapproving look.

"Yes who did you expect Andrew, who else would be allowing them leave?" William asks in irritations his eyes narrowed at them and he crosses his arms over his chest waiting impatiently for them to answer as they look at each other in shock their courage suddenly vanishing at the thought of having to face William's wrath. "Well I am waiting." William says in an irritated tone.

"Uh…right we're very sorry for the confusion…I think we should be going now." One of the vampires says as the group quickly vanishes not hearing William chuckle softly.

"I don't know why they believe I will get mad so quickly." He says turning toward the group a bright smile on his face. "It is humorous and often results in them leaving me be." He explains as he quietly laughs a light amused laugh.

"I see that." Tyran calmly says and looks at Scarlet noticing she had a mischievous look. "Its never a good thing when you have that look." He says raising an eyebrow when Scarlet jumps.

"I was thinking since they obviously don't want to make William mad we could use that to get out of here." She answers after she gives her plan some more thought a bright mischievous smile on her face.

"And what about Alma and the others not like I can just move these things Mickele might but I doubt it." Tyran remarks tapping on the wall with his knuckle to show that it was solid and waits for Scarlet's answer.

_I wonder if they realize I am still here? _William ponders quietly staying silent while Tyran and Mickele break out into an argument over why Mickele couldn't move and how Tyran definitely couldn't move it. _Apparently Tyran is not that good with earth…yet he is training Mickele to control earth? I hope I am not the only one confused. _William inwardly cries trying to listen to the argument but keeps getting more and more confused. _I wonder if Shadow and the others are having better luck than we are? _He thinks finally giving up on trying to follow the argument.

"ENOUGH YOU TWO ARE ACTING LIKE TWO YEAR OLDS!" Scarlet, shouts then smacks her face and grumbles about how she was doing Alma's job and that two year olds were more mature than the two arguing Guardians.

"Tyran started it." Mickele sulks glaring at the ground and ignores Tyran's shocked and confused looks.

"I don't care I'm ending it." Scarlet, snaps hushing Tyran before he makes some smart comment to Mickele about what he said. "Alright so how do we get to the others?" She asks directing her attention from the two quietly quarrelling Guardians to William who was still in deep thought but quickly snaps out of it when she repeats her question.

"We could go around to get to them but it will take longer." William explains then looks at the wall and frowns slightly. "But I do not think they will be very willing to move the walls." He muses softly rubbing his chin in thought.

"Could you just scare them into moving it like you did just a few moments ago?" Esther asks William with a questioning look on her face as she waited patiently for him to answer.

"I could but I try to not make it a habit to get angry or even pretend to be for that matter." William explains holding his index finger up as he spoke in a calm even tone. "It has to do with my morals and yes before you say anything just because I am a Methuselah I do indeed have morals." He says right before Mickele says something about him being shocked that a vampire could have morals.

"Hehehe he told ya Mickele." Tyran laughs covering his mouth to try to hide his laughter but failed miserably which earns him dark dagger like glares from Mickele. "What it's true you gotta admit he has a point there." He quickly says in an attempt to defend his previous words.

"Oh shut up Ty." Mickele grumbles under his breath and crosses his arms a pouting expression on his face. _Stupid William and his stupid vampire mind reading trick…wait they can't really read minds can they? _He thinks not paying attention to Tyran who was laughing at the fact that Mickele had changed from pouting to pondering in under a minute.

"Tyran stop it!" Scarlet barks at Tyran startling him but he stops and grumbles something inaudible under his breath. "What did you say?" She demands in a loud voice that echoed throughout the entire complex scaring any and all of the vampires that heard it.

"Scarlet calm down I think anyone within a five mile radius can hear you an' yer yappin." Tyran says gently pushing the furious teen away not prepared for the fast left hook that came flying and hit him square in the jaw knocking him into the wall. "Owww…now that was uncalled for." He whines rubbing the large red mark that was forming on the right side of the face with crocodile tears slowly making their way down his face.

"Oh you're a big baby I didn't hit you that hard so quite faking." Scarlet scoffs in annoyance calling Tyran's bluff and smirks when he scowls at her and stops his act. "See told you, you were faking and here I was about to feel sorry that I hit you so hard." She adds just to annoy Tyran and smiles a sweet smile that was so full of innocence it fooled him to believe she hadn't meant to be so harsh.

_Curse her and her mock innocent smile I fell for it again. _Tyran thinks grinding his teeth after Scarlet laughs triumphantly and walks away in silent victory. "I'll get you back." He mutters under his breath and turns to Mickele who was covering his mouth to hide his laughter. "Shut up." He says frowning when Mickele bursts out laughing.

_Do they ever take anything serious? _Leon thinks watching the small trio bicker back and forth for another few minutes until Scarlet inevitably won by out shouting the two and scaring them. "You three do realize that Alma, Eva, and Ace are stuck with Shadow, don't you?" He asks an eyebrow raised at the three who stop and look at him then nod. "Aren't you the least bit worried?" He asks in shock and a slightly raised voice.

"No not really I'm sure Alma can handle herself, Ace is a bounty hunter so she has to be able to handle herself, and as for Eva who would want to hurt her?" Tyran asks in a calm voice with a shrug of his shoulders. "Also what can Shadow do he looked beat he probably can't even fight a vamp in his state there's nothing to worry about." He says with a shrug then goes back to teasing Mickele.

_I should tell them that rather than taking the long way we could just leave the building and enter through the other exits to find the others. _William thinks and opens his mouth to speak when Mickele shouts at Tyran and he decides it would be best to not speak at the moment.

… … …

"Uh…now what?" Shadow asks looking around the small area that he and Alma had been enclosed in. _If I wasn't so tired I could just destroy the wall but no stupid Andrew had to shock me! _He thinks scowling at the thought. Alma tries to speak but their area starts to rumble and one of the walls opens and both look at each other. "Hey remember all those scary movies we watched even though you hate them?" He asks backing up until his back hits the wall.

"Yeah…I also remember how more often than not if a wall suddenly opens there are either A monsters in the opening or B a hole in the floor that leads down to the monsters." Alma replies as she gets into a fighting stance waiting for something to pop out but it never does. "But then again this isn't a movie so-AHH!" She screams when the floor under both her and Shadow crumbles and both start to fall until they hit the hard stone bottom.

"That…was fun." Shadow shakily says looking around the dark room trying to find Alma but bumps into a wall. "Oh no…" He whimpers turning around to try to see into the emptiness in front of him. _I don't like the dark… _He thinks whimpering again but stops when he hears heavy breathing from an unknown distance in front of him.

"How can you be scared of the dark you control darkness? You know how much of a contradictory that is?" Night barks at Shadow his voice full of shock and disbelief.

_Don't blame me blame Mickele and Scarlet they forced me an' Alma to watch any scary movie they could get their hands on an' I sort a developed a fear of dark crevasses in unknown tunnels below buildings. _Shadow thinks and freezes when he hears footsteps coming toward him so he turns and starts pounding on the wall. "ALMA HELP YOU KNOW I HAVE A FEAR OF DARK PLACES DON'T MAKE ME SUFFER LIKE THIS!" He cries in a pleading tone as he pounds on the wall on the verge of tears. "Also there's a monster in here…" He softly adds whimpering slightly. "ALMA!" He yelps when the massive vampire picks him up and slams him into a wall…

"Shadow?" Alma asks from the other side of the wall after hearing his faint pounding and cries for help. "Maybe there's a secret lever or something." She softly says as she starts to move her hands across the wall for a few moments then stops and sighs. "I guess not…I could just blow the wall up-wait why didn't I do that when we were up there?" She asks herself then shakes her head not able to come up with an answer.

"ALMA!" Shadow cries again followed by a loud thud and yelp.

"What the heck is he doing?" Alma asks in disbelief yelping when the wall suddenly turns and she gets thrown into the vampire making him release his captive who gets caught by the wall and flung out. _I see why he was screaming in sheer terror… _Alma thinks looking up at the monster vampire that loomed over her, his fangs bared with eyes that were glowing a bright fiery red.

"You just ruined my meal." The vampire growls in a low husky voice glaring at Alma who smiles and backs up against the wall. "But you look tastier anyways so I think I'll get over it." He adds smirking a cold smirk.

"Uh…me tasty? No not me I'm not tasty at all." Alma stutters her back against the wall as she looks up at the massive vampire laughing nervously searching for a lever to make the wall turn. _Now would be a good time to blow him away but…then again this place is small and it could backfire on me so no. _She thinks nervously looking around for somewhere to go when she hears Shadow shouting from the other side…

"HANG ON ALMA!" Shadow shouts and franticly moves his hands across the wall. "I have to find that lever but where could it be?" He asks himself stopping a moment to think then quickly starts back again.

"Try the fourth from the bottom on the second to last row near the left side of the wall." Night calmly says watching as Shadow nods and pushes the stone brick in. "See told you." He says in the same calm tone.

"How'd you knOOOOOWW!" Shadow shouts as the wall catches him and throws him into the area Alma was and tosses the monster vampire out into the now empty room. "Whoa that was fun we should it again!" Shadow says dizzy from the sudden movement.

"No it wasn't I thought I was gonna be eaten!" Alma shouts at him shaking him making him dizzier. "Are you mad?" She demands and continues to shake him for another minute or so until she calms down.

"Sorry but it was fun aside from me being stuck in a small area with a massive vampire and vice versa for you." Shadow says rubbing the back of his head. _Why must she shake me like a rag doll I feel sick now? _He thinks with closed eyes waiting for the nausea to end not noticing Alma's concerned look.

_He's acting like himself right now. It's so odd he's usually acting like he's on edge, afraid of something, or a jerk. _Alma thinks and looks down the tunnel when she feels a breeze of air. "Come on I think if we continue down this tunnel we'll be out soon." She says tugging Shadow and starts to walk down the tunnel.

"Alright…" Shadow says as he follows a few feet behind Alma and the two walk quite a ways through the tunnel in silence. _I don't think I've ever been so tired even after having slept a bit I feel like I could pass out. _He thinks looking at the ground in front of him and glances up every now and then.

_That's it I can't stand just walking down here without saying something. _Alma thinks her eyebrow twitching in irritation. "Say something." She suddenly says breaking the silence in the cold damp tunnel their only source of light Alma's small flame orb.

"What?" Shadow asks in confusion taken back by the sudden outburst.

"I said say something." Alma repeats glancing over her shoulder at him her flame crackles softly in the once again silent tunnel. _I don't care if he's a big jerk and I don't think that he's capable of everything that's happened I can't walk like this and be so quiet. _She thinks waiting for him to say anything.

"Fine something are ya happy now?" Shadow asks knowing he irritated Alma further when she quickly turns toward him and he sees her left eye starts to twitch slightly. "Ya know yer eye kinda twitches when yer irritated right?" He asks in an oblivious tone and points to his left eye.

After she takes a deep breath and through gritted teeth she sweetly says, "Yes Shadow I know my eye twitches when I'm mad." Then she turns back toward the front and starts to silently seethe.

"I never noticed before why's it do that?" Shadow asks trying to catch up to Alma who kept increasing her speed to the point both her and Shadow were flying through the tunnel Alma's flame barely a glow and wavered in the air. "Alma wait up you know I'm not as fast as you are!" He calls as he starts to fall behind and pushes himself further when he and her hit a downhill slope in the tunnel and he finally catching up to Alma. "I didn't mean anything ya know that right?" He asks and reaches for her arm catching it but he stopped and she kept going so both of them went tumbling down the tunnel's slope. _That was not the best idea. _He thinks as the two collide at the end of the slope with a fork in the tunnel's path.

Alma lays on the ground beside Shadow whimpering and groaning a few times at the bruises that were already forming on her arms and legs. "Ow well this has been a very eventful day an' when we get back I'm gonna go to bed." She says after a few moments as she stands up and brushes herself off then looks at Shadow. "Course yer gonna have to answer a few questions first." She says as she holds her hand out for him to take but he declines it and staggers up.

"What? Why do I have to be interrogated?" Shadow defensively asks his voice slightly raised and echoes throughout the tunnel bouncing off the walls and amplifying it to a continuous stream until it finally falls silent.

"I never said-" Alma tries to correct him but he holds up his hand to show her someone was coming and they had to be silent. "Who would be down here we're under the freaking building for-mph!" She tries again but he covers her mouth.

"I think I have enough strength to hide a few minutes but you have to stay silent." Shadow whispers looking back at Alma with pleading eyes. "I know you don't trust me but just this once trust me okay?" He softly asks in a sincere tone and smiles when she nods. He closes his eyes and begins to concentrate on hiding him and Alma from the person whose footsteps were growing louder.

"I thought I heard shouting coming from this direction but I don't see anyone." A vampire says after he and another round the corner looking for the voices they had heard but saw no one only the shadows that turned to darkness as the power of his light faded. "You heard them too didn't you?" He asks his companion who nods and sniffs the air.

"I smell two unfamiliar scents but they stop right here." His companion says as he walks over to a wall and places his hand on the wall. "There should be two people right here but there aren't…maybe they went further down what do you think Romulus." He says looking back at Romulus who scans the dark corridors and shakes his head.

"I don't think so we'd be able to smell them. It could just be our imaginations come on Boris let's go we don't want to stay down here any longer than we have to." Romulus says and turns to leave not even waiting on Boris who was still examining the wall.

"But the scents…they have to be here." Boris softly says in deep thought but breaks off his search after the light of Romulus' torch vanishes and he becomes enshrouded in darkness. Shadow let's out the breath he'd been holding since the wall's shadows had bound themselves around him and Alma making them entirely invisible. He releases Alma and turns away holding his head that was pounding.

"Good job but we should get-Shadow are you okay?" Alma asks him after she looks back from making sure the vampires had truly gone and were not waiting just around the corner.

"Fine just a small headache." Shadow tiredly says with a slightly forced smile on his now weary face. "I didn't think you'd care if I was okay or not?" He teasingly says chuckling softly and leans against the wall his breathing heavy with exhaustion. _Just using my powers for that small length of time made me so tired. _He thinks as he pushes the weariness down and stands up straight. "Come on we should hurry up and get out of here." He smiles and starts to head the direction the opposite the vampires had gone.

"Right how much further do you think it is?" Alma asks as she follows Shadow shivering slightly at the thought of spiders in the tunnel and speeds up closer to Shadow. "You don't look so good are you sure you're fine?" She asks again after she gets closer to Shadow and sees traces of exhaustion on his face.

"I'm fine." Shadow quickly says and speeds up so she couldn't see how tired he was. _Dang it I shouldn't be this weak I've had time to recover. _He thinks glancing at his hand that was shaking slightly and clenches it then relaxes it when it stops shaking.

"Maybe it had more of a deeper effect than you thought Shadow." Night softly says a hint of concern in his tone. "You have never had to go through so many shocks that increased in voltage in such a short time, even when you would train with Bolt." He explains and notices Shadow sigh.

_Yer right even when we were training our hardest he wouldn't try to kill me the vamp on the other hand I'm sure he wanted me dead. _Shadow thinks so wrapped up in his thoughts he didn't notice the tunnel had curved and nearly ran into the wall.

"Shadow pay attention!" Alma barks at him jerking him away from the wall and his thoughts when she quickly grabs his wrist and stops him from running into the wall. "You seem out of it are you sure yer alright?" She asks again and keeps a hold of his wrist until he regains his balance and nods to her.

"I'm fine just a bit tired once we get out of here I can actually go to bed." Shadow laughs forcing his tone to sound cheerful. "Come on I have a feeling we're almost out then you won't have to stand my evil jerkish presence anymore." He continues in a teasing tone and continues down the path ignoring the fact that each step he took made his body cry out for rest.

_Now I am utterly convinced that he's not responsible for __**most **__of what's happened. _Alma thinks looking away a guilty look on her face. _But that leaves a gap to fill for who the main cause is…he probably knows but why wouldn't he tell anyone I know Shadow is very stubborn and doesn't take to well to people trying to order him around. _She thinks watching as Shadow walks ahead of her and shakes her head. _So then who would be able to scare him bad enough to where he wouldn't even speak of it and take all the blame? _She silently ponders and starts walking only when Shadow looks back and asks her if she was coming or not.

_**Shadow: WHAT IS IT WITH YOU AN' MAKING ME SO DANG TIRED!**_

_**Author: I dunno.**_

_**Shadow: -_- Really is that all you have to say?**_

_**Author: Yep hope ya'll liked the story!**_

_**Alma:*pops up out of nowhere* Bye! XD**_

_**Shadow:*jumps and glares at Alma* AH! When'd you get here?**_

_**Alma: *looks at Shadow in confusion*After she said hope ya'll liked the story.**_

_**Shadow:-_-…You know what I'm not saying anything.**_

_**Alma:*shock* Not even bye?**_

_**Shadow:*dry tone* -_- Bye hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_


	25. Chapter 25

_**Hi people sorry for the long wait! I hope ya'll enjoy the chapter!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Trinity Blood.**_

Chapter 25

"If I may ask are you two finished with your argument?" William tentatively asks worried that the three were not finished with their argument. "Or if not than by all means continue I did not wish to interrupt you!" He quickly says when none of them answer him. _We really should be going but I do not really want to interrupt them…perhaps I should try to so we can find the others. _He thinks watching the three and takes a quick deep breath. "I know you three are having quite an interesting topic but if I may suggest that we move so we can find the others?" He says smiling a sincere smile and watches as the three nod and stop their argument.

"He's right ya know we really should try to find the others." Tyran says in a mature tone ignoring the fact that the other two were griping at him for how he was the most immature of the three of them. "You guys are just mad that I'm not only older but I can actually drink without I' in trouble." He argues a smug smirk on his face.

"YOU LIAR, HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU BEEN THROWN OUT BECAUSE YOU WERE TOO YOUNG?" Mickele shouts his face red with rage as he and Tyran start back up another argument.

"Will you two please stop?" Scarlet asks in the most polite and sincere tone she could muster. "I would really appreciate it if you did so we can go and find my cousin and the others." She continues in the same tone a sweet smile on her face. Tyran and Mickele freeze then silently look at each other wide eyed with expressions of fear and shock on their face.

"Right…no more arguing between the two of us." Mickele squeaks he and Tyran hiding behind William both shaking out of fear. "Don't ask why we're scared vamp dude you don't know how scary she is when she's being sweet." He whispers to William who had given them a confused look.

"I see…well as Scarlet said we should get moving, this way." William says as he turns and points toward the direction of the building's entrance a soft sincere smile on his face.

"Right!" Tyran calls and the others watch as the two are already speeding away trying to get away from Scarlet. "We'll meet ya'll there!" He calls again when the two of them are already out of sight.

"I don't think I've ever seen anyone be enthusiastic." Abel says laughing softly as Leon and Esther nod in shocked agreement.

"DO YOU TWO EVEN KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING?" Scarlet shouts as she grabs William's wrist and chases after them. "GET BACK HERE YOU IDIOTS!" She shouts again dragging William behind her.

_Help me. _William mentally whimpers as he inwardly cries. _Her size hides her strength. _He thinks as he is dragged away with the others rushing after Scarlet trying to keep up with her quick pace.

"Scarlet slow down we can't keep up!" Leon angrily shouts at the young teen that instead ignored his shout and sped up. "YOU I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!" He shouts again as he speeds up and manages to somewhat catch up to the girl she was still a few good yards ahead of him. "SLOW DOWN!" He shouts once more and starts to again but trips over a pebble and falls flat on his face. "Oww…" He groans as the other race past him but come back and help him up. "That brat she heard me I know she did!" He shouts and gets to his knees then stands up scowling.

… … …

"Well it didn't take us too long to find the exit did it?" Eva chirps stepping around the bodies of the vampires that Ace had beaten in a few minutes. "You did that quickly didn't you?" She laughs nudging one of the vampires with her foot and looks at Ace who was holding her blade at her side and taking a few deep breaths.

"Well you weren't very helpful were you?" Ace dryly asks giving Eva a cold look then looks at the door that was in front of her and pushes it. "It's rusted shut." She growls pushing it again but it doesn't budge and she tries it again. "Mind giving me a hand here?" She asks Eva who was standing a few feet away twiddling with her fingers.

"Uh…sure but one question." Eva says holding her hand up a blank look on her face. "If it's rusted then how do you plan on opening it?" She asks tilting her head to the side in confusion.

"Maybe the two of us can shove it open." Ace bluntly states gesturing toward the door and kicks one of the vampires in the head when they start to stand up. "Stay down." She warns and knocks him out with a sharp hit to the neck.

"Poor guys didn't even see you coming." Eva says and walks over to the door and puts her ear against the door. "I think I hear voices." She says and listens harder to see if she was just hearing things.

"This one of the exits?" One of the voices asks followed by a soft knocking on the door.

"Hang on, on three we'll ram the door." Eva says as she and Ace take a step back and prepare to ram the door. "THREE!" She chirps and takes off grabbing Ace's wrist as a column of water slams into the door and it flies off of its hinges sideways. "That was fun!" She says and smiles at Ace who was standing there in shock with wide eyes.

"SINCE WHEN CAN YOU CONTROL WATER?" Ace shouts at Eva and points at the door which lay on top of Mickele, Tyran, and William.

"Well since I was a little nothing big." Eva says and sees Scarlet looking at her with a slightly shocked expression. "What did you guys think you were the only ones able to control an element?" She asks and sees the three of the guys stuck under the door throw the door off.

"No but there is a difference between us you and Ace are lower class elementals." Tyran bluntly answers as he stands up and pops his back. "You just had to hit us with a door." He says and looks at Eva who smiles.

"What do you mean lower class?" Ace asks Tyran a serious look on her face. "And how do you know that I'm one if I am?" She asks him again and frowns when he laughs.

"Ignore Tyran he's not the best a communicating with this sort of stuff." Mickele says standing up and helps William up. "Lower class just means um…how do you explain it? Oh yeah Guardians are just a higher form of elementals." He tries to explain scratching the back of his head and looks at Scarlet for help.

"Doesn't explain a lot but that's the point you guys will find out more once we leave here." Scarlet says and smiles than looks at William with a serious expression. "So where's the next exit cause Alma and Shadow aren't here." She says and William nods.

"We have already checked all the others there's only one left and it is one of an underground pathway that leads…back." William says and points the way they came. "Back to the main entrance it was only supposed to be an escape route and in order to keep enemies out it was lain with traps I'm afraid." He says chuckling slightly with nervousness.

"Great so now we don't only have to worry about those two being alone together but we have to worry about traps, wonderful." Tyran grumbles crossing his arms growing slightly more worried. _Shadow is still weakened I'm sure but by now he's had time to gain at least a little of his strength back. _He thinks closing his eyes and takes a quiet breath. _I'm sure Alma can handle herself but I'm worried if Shadow really was able to use pupa umbra on me…no he couldn't use it on Alma she's immune to it. So why am I so worried it's not even Shadow I'm worried about, I can sort of remember while I was a puppet but it's all confusing the parts I remember Shadow was different he seemed twisted. _He silently ponders remembering the few times he could of Shadow while a puppet and opens his eyes when he feels someone tugging his shirt.

"…Tyran come on everyone else is already ahead of us." Scarlet says with Esther beside her Tyran nods and the three quickly follow after the others. _I wonder what he was thinking he looked so distant. _She thinks glancing at Tyran through the corner of her eye but quickly shakes it off and faces the front to see where the others were.

… … …

"AHHH! I TOLD YOU WE SHOULD HAVE GONE RIGHT ON THE LAST FORK!" Shadow shouts as he and Alma storm through the tunnel trying to out run the boulder that was chasing after them.

"NO YOU SAID GO WHEREVER YOU WANNA GO! SO I WENT LEFT AN' YOU FOLLOWED!" Alma shouts back at him and both duck into another path and watch as the boulder speeds by.

"I THOUGHT YOU'D GO RIGHT!" Shadow retorts after he catches his breath and leans against the wall to exhausted to move.

"I am truly amazed you are not scared of a tunnel filled with traps, twists, turns, and all sorts of other contraptions but you fear _him_?" Night asks Shadow shock evident in his voice and also disappointment.

"I AM NOT SCARED OF _HIM_!" Shadow shouts and then remembers Alma was there and looks over to see her backing away and giving him a freaked out look.

"Okay…I don't know who _he _is but I never said you were scared…" Alma says as she continues to scoot back away from Shadow. _That was totally not weird at all…wait 'he' could be the guy behind all the chaos! _She thinks and stops a moment. "Who exactly is _he_, Shadow?" She asks and notices Shadow visibly tense up and look away.

"No one forget I said anythin." Shadow says closing his eyes and mentally scolds himself for saying what he said earlier out loud. _Dang it Night you know I didn't wanna tell 'em! _He thinks clenching his fists and starts to shake with rage.

"You should have told them earlier Shadow you might have been able to prevent some of what has happened." Night argues in a calm tone that you only hear from a father scolding their child. Shadow shakes his head and doesn't see Alma's worried expression or hear her ask if he was okay.

_Yer wrong Night…I probably would have just made it worse. _Shadow argues with Night.

"Shadow you alright?" Alma asks in a concerned tone walking over to Shadow and places her hand on his shoulder. He looks at her and she sees the edges of his eyes red from lack of rest and he instantly looks away. "Shadow, if you don't want to tell me right now then don't." She softly says and smiles a gentle smile. "Come'n we need to find the way outta here." She calmly says and pulls Shadow's arm to get him to follow her. He looks up and nods a sorrowful look on his face. _I could push him to tell me but then what good would that do it'd be best to wait until he wants to tell me. _She thinks as the two head down the hall.

"Shadow you need to tell her the others don't trust you at all! She might be the only one that does and you won't even talk to her about it!" Night scolds Shadow who looks away from Alma with guilt.

_I know that but you don't know what will happen if I tell her! _Shadow argues and bites his lip and keeps his head low so Alma wouldn't see his face that was filled with guilt and pain at the memory.

"Fine don't tell her but you will eventually have to tell her and the others Shadow." Night softly but sternly says.

"Shadow come'n what's wrong with you?" Alma asks him and before he can get out of reach she gently grabs his arm and forces him to look at her. "What's going on with you, yer acting like yer arguing with yerself?" Alma asks him but he breaks away and quickly walks ahead.

"Nothing come'n Alma let's get goin' so I don't have to sleep in a dang tunnel." Shadow jokingly says and laughs as he walks ahead of Alma not seeing part of the wall slide down just far enough that when he walked to it he smacked his head and he was walking fast enough to where it dazed him and he fell. "When'd the wall get there did Nox put it there?" He dazedly asks as he sits on the floor his vision going in and out of focus.

… … …

"So this is the way we go down to go into the tunnel where the others are?" Scarlet asks looking down at the stairs that had been uncovered by William. "It's dark and the only one of us able to control fire is Alma who is need I remind you in that tunnel." She states with an eyebrow raised toward William who nods. "So do you have any way to light it while we're gown there?" She asks and he thinks a moment before nodding then pulls out small package of matches from his back pocket.

"There are hidden torches throughout the tunnel so that we can see when we enter." William says as he enters and lights a match then walks over to the wall and lights it so it brightens a small section he continues the steps until the entire corridor is lit then comes back out and smiles. "We may enter now if you and the others wish." He says as they nod and walk down into the tunnel with William in the lead lighting every other hidden torch so the corridor stayed lit.

"How far do you think they are?" Abel asks from the back of the group Ace and Tres had decided to wait outside in case any vampires tried something. "May I ask how far these tunnels go?" He continues and waits patiently for William's reply.

"Well for your first question I have no clue as to how far they could be for all we know they could be right around the bend or on the other side completely and as for your second they extend the entire length and width of the building and then continue on for miles we have not even begun to fully explore them yet." William calmly answers as he stops a moment to light another torch then continues on and starts to explain the tunnels further. "You see we had nothing to do with these tunnels they have been here since perhaps pre-Armageddon and so we simply built atop them. They could have been once used to house people from the battle or simply as a way to secretly transport goods. We probably will not know because it was lost but it gives you something to wonder yes?" He asks glancing back at the group with a soft polite smile then continues on.

"Yes I suppose it is, so William how long have you lived here?" Abel asks William and notices him stop a moment but quickly continue. _Perhaps he does not wish to talk about it. _He thinks and opens his mouth to tell William he did not have to tell them if he did not want to but William begins to speak.

"I honestly don't know it has been so long." William chuckles in a light tone as he continues to lead the group further into the tunnels. "Scarlet you and the others mentioned something about a lower class elemental, yes?" He asks Scarlet who nods.

"Yeah, why?" Scarlet calmly and bluntly asks William already knowing what he was going to ask by the tone he had used.

"Well I was thinking and I wonder what is the difference between a Guardian and an Elemental, Mickele had mentioned that a Guardian is only a higher form of Elemental but that does not clarify much." William tells her and he gets a sigh from all three Guardians.

"Yeah that was kind a the point ya know?" Tyran grumbles stuffing his hands in his pockets and stares off into space not wanting to answer the question.

"Oh come on please oh please tell us?" Eva begs in a cheery voice as she pulls on Tyran's and Scarlet's arms trying to get them to tell. "Please?" She begs again and gives them her infamous puppy face that earned sighs from the two but still shook their heads. "Why not?" She loudly whines to them.

"Because…well uh I don't know why alright we don't wanna tell ya'll when ya'll haven't even been to our home!" Scarlet stubbornly says after a few moments of confusion.

"Oooh so do we get to see it soon?" Eva asks her eyes shining with curiosity as she and Scarlet are oblivious to the anxious looks on the other's faces each thinking the same thing _'Are they going to show us where they lived?' _And of course Able and Leon exchange worried looks at the memory of the last time they were there.

"You know if you guys do decide to take us me and Abel might skip out on that." Leon says laughing nervously but Tyran shakes his head.

"No, no, no, and heck no! Scarlet you can't be serious taking these guys there outta all the places?" Tyran says shaking his head and ignores Scarlet's calm looks that told him he was going to lose the battle anyway so stop whining.

"Tyran stop, just stop it ain't up to me anyway." Scarlet tells him holding her hand up and ignores Tyran's arguments and protest to taking strangers to their home.

"It's our home Scarlet if they come then they'll tell everyone an' it won't be a secret anymore that's the point of it being _hidden_!" Tyran barks emphasizing the word hidden and pays no heed to the others that were listening with great intrigue to their argument.

"I know that, you know that, Mickele knows that, everyone knows that but listen to me when I say that we can't stay hidden forever Ty it just ain't possible you know that!" Scarlet argues trying to remain calm and rationalize the situation she sees Tyran stop and think a moment then sigh.

_The last time we trusted a human they turned on us can we really risk it again? _Tyran thinks with uncertainty his eyebrows knitted in concern. _If we can get the first thing straightened out then I suppose we have no choice we need their…or rather Abel's help. _He thinks glancing at Abel through the corner of his eye but quickly looks away and runs his hand through his hair. "I know…but if they come then they have to swear to not tell a soul!" Tyran barks and quickly sends everyone other than Mickele a stern parental look. "Cause don't forget what happened last time." He calmly says to Scarlet and everyone notices each Guardian visibly tense up a moment.

… … …

_Did he say Nox? He died fifteen years ago so why would he? _Alma thinks and shakes her head at Shadow who was still on the ground. _Maybe I misheard him I must've…unless no that couldn't happen. _She thinks shaking her head before the thought could finish. "Shadow come on we may not have much further left to go." She says to him walking over and helps him up.

"Or a long way to go." Shadow grumbles leaning on the wall for support. "Alma, how did everything manage to go so wrong?" He asks her even more tired now after he collided with the wall.

"What do you mean?" She asks him and offers him a hand so they could get moving, he looks at her a moment then hesitantly accepts it. _I think the wall plus his exhaustion has made him…I guess more willing to talk? _She thinks as she lets him use her for support and they continue down the hall.

"Just that I wanted to help but I know something went wrong somewhere but I can't figure out where." Shadow softly says trying to stay awake but kept nearly dozing off and waking up from Alma's stumbling when he dozed off. "Sorry." He apologizes in a tired tone.

_Well he seems more talkative maybe I should ask him about Tyran! Not directly of course but mention pupa umbra! _Alma thinks and confidently nods her head. "Shadow I have a question for you." She tells him in a calm inquisitive tone.

"Yeah? Go ahead an' shoot then I'm all ears." Shadow says and lets out a loud yawn he notices Alma's doubtful look but doesn't say anything and waits for her to ask her question.

"Um…this is gonna sound weird but what do you know about a technique called Pupa Umbra?" She hesitantly asks in a soft voice that was nearly inaudible.

Shadow looks at her a moment then looks a way and rubs his neck nervously as he tries to come up with an answer until he finally sighs. "It's a puppeteer technique and basically makes whoever it's used on a puppet…why?" He asks Alma and notices her tense up a little. _Okay…what else should I tell her I can't perform the stupid technique I could only manage to hold it for five minutes at tops and that was with someone willing for my training! _"Whoo boy I remember trying to learn that technique I think I passed out the first time." Shadow says out loud without thinking and starts to laugh at the past. "Five minutes five lousy minutes and I passed out from the strain I ain't made to use that Pupa Umbra it takes too much outta me." He continues then realizes he was speaking out loud and looks at Alma who was just staring at him blankly. "Uhhh tell me I didn't jus' say that out loud?" He asks her but she nods her head and he hangs his head in shame.

"Yes, yes you did just say that out loud." Alma says and giggles softly when Shadow's face turns red with embarrassment then she stops and looks at him with a serious expression when she recalled what he had said. "Wait so you can't even do Pupa Umbra for more than five minutes or you pass out?" She asks him and he gives her a cheesy smile but nods his face still bright red. _If he can't even do the technique then how could he possibly use it on Tyran? _She thinks silently gasping and then inwardly sighs. _If that's true then he wasn't the one who was controlling Tyran but who was there aren't many dark wielders left. _She thinks not noticing when Shadow starts to speak until he asks her a question. "What sorry I was lost in thought." She quickly says.

Shadow sighs his face slowly turning back to its normal color. "I said yeah an' that was with Ignis an' Nox helpin' me train…Nox told me himself that not everyone can use Pupa Umbra you have to have a certain mind set he said and as blunt as ever said that I would never have it." He repeats laughing softly in embarrassment. "Then I asked you if why you were suddenly so interested in it?" He asks a playful smirk appearing on his face. _Man why can't we just get outta here I'm so tired! _He inwardly cries wanting nothing more than to sleep though he had to admit actually being able to talk to Alma was nice and it had been something he hadn't done in a **long **time.

"Oh well…um I just-I kind of…" Alma stutters as she tries to quickly think of what to say but Shadow's calm and questioning look made it so very hard for her to think of a lie that he would believe. "I don't know how to put it!" She whines in defeat not wanting to tell Shadow truth be told she wanted Tyran to tell Shadow not her for fear that it would only make it more complicated.

Shadow is taken back a moment but quickly recovers and chuckles softly at the fact that Alma's face was starting to turn red like it did when she was very embarrassed, nervous, or indecisive. "Alright, alright Alma calm down if ya don't know how to put it then don't tell me. I think I'll be able to survive." He teasingly says but freezes when he sees a light from around the corner. Alma opens her mouth to speak but he covers her mouth. "Hang on I'll try to hide us again alright?" He asks her as he removes his hand.

Alma nods her head and walks toward the wall helping Shadow who was still using her as support. "Okay but don't strain yerself you already look like yer about to pass out, got it?" She sternly orders Shadow who laughs quietly at the fact that she could be so bossy and yet so shy at the same time.

"Alright got it miss Alma." Shadow says as her flame that had hovered above them vanished and the two were enveloped in darkness. _I hope I have enough to hide us until they've passed. _He thinks and starts to concentrate pushing himself to not pass out when he feels the darkness cover him and Alma his strength already being pushed at its limit.

… … …

"I thought I saw a light ahead!" Eva and Mickele call as they run ahead of the group past William and into the darkness that held its place around the corner. They wait for William who had skipped several torches to catch up to them and help them see.

"You two may not want to rush we do not know who it may be." William tells them as he lights another torch illuminating the dark corridor to reveal nothing. "That's odd…I could have sworn there was a light this way…" He says perplexed by what he saw or rather did not see. _I'm certain I saw one coming from nearby. _He thinks rubbing his chin as he tries to come up with an answer.

"Hey William you're a vamp right?" Mickele asks him and William looks at him a moment trying to determine whether it was joke or not.

"Yes but I'd prefer it if you said Methuselah why do you ask or have you not believed me this entire time?" William asks in confusion not understanding why Mickele would need to ask that when he has known all along that yes William is a Methuselah.

Mickele rolls his eyes at William's obvious confusion and shakes his head ashamed that William was so confused and could not understand what he was asking. "Vamp-sorry Methuselahs, can smell good why don't you take a sniff and see what you smell." He states and smacks his face when a look of realization dawns on Williams face and he nods.

"I understand what you are asking but why did you have to confirm that I was indeed a Methuselah?" William asks still confused at Mickele's previous question but after Mickele gives him a look that told him 'you really want to know?' He drops the topic and smells the air. "These scents are familiar but they are further down." William says and quickly strides further down the corridor ignoring the fact that he had no light because he was following his now he saw now need of the light. _I know these scents they are Shadow and Alma! _He thinks once he realizes he was completely surrounded by darkness his ears droop slightly and he tries to look around in the darkness to find the two but saw only that darkness.

Alma sees William through the veil that was hiding her and Shadow from the others' sight she quickly nudges Shadow and points to William who was still trying to find them but could not see past the darkness. "Shadow look it's William I don't think we need to hide anymore." Alma whispers to Shadow who was barely awake. "Shadow come'n hang in there a bit longer alright?" She asks Shadow who shakes his head to wake himself up and nods to her.

Shadow closes his eyes and lets the darkness unwrap itself revealing him and Alma to William who had been standing virtually in front of them. "Yo, William long time no see you should really make a map of this place." Shadow jokingly says and sees William jump in shock and surprise.

"Where did you two come from?" William quickly asks and blinks when one of Alma's flames brightens their area and she waves to the others who were looking at her shocked.

"Hey guys sorry it took so long we kind of got lost!" Alma cheerfully says and looks at Shadow who looked like he was about to pass, murder someone, or maybe both. "Could ya'll wait to question Shadow he's about to pass out an' looks really irritable." She tells them pointing to Shadow who was not happy at all with the fact that Alma's light was keeping him from sleeping.

"I am not irritable I'm jus' tired!" Shadow whines followed by a yawn. "Ya know what I'm too tired to care." He grumbles as he lays his head on Alma's shoulder and quickly falls asleep not really intending too but the fact that his powers were pushed to their near limit along with all the tumbling he had done he quickly drifted off.

Alma looks at him a moment trying to decide whether she should move him to her back or just stand there until someone else picks Shadow up, she decides to go with just putting him on her back so he wouldn't wake up. "Alright now forward and march!" She cheers pointing forward and tries to take a step forward and instead nearly falls backward. "Or fall backwards." She huffs and adjust Shadow so his weight didn't pull her backwards again. "Now we forward and march!" She says again and starts to walk down the tunnel.

Tyran and Scarlet exchange looks to one another slightly worried by her behavior. "Um Alma what are you doing?" Scarlet asks her cousin who had Shadow on her back.

Alma looks at Scarlet in confusion a moment then motions to Shadow with her head. "What's it look like he fell asleep an' I'm carryin' him." She bluntly states and walks past Scarlet. "Come'n we should go…the exit is this way right?" She asks tilting her head to the corridor in front of her.

Tyran nods and looks at Scarlet both exchange the same look of 'what the heck is she doing?' Tyran sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "I don't even wanna know." He sighs shaking his head at Alma who gives him a confused look.

_I __**should **__tell him what Shadow told me but then again he needs to tell them. _Alma thinks as she continues to head toward the exit. "Off we go!" She calls speeding up to get the others moving.

… … …

I look around me the hallway was familiar but it seems so much taller than what it usually is. "Why is that?" I ask then look down and see myself in the mirror my jaw drops at the sight. _I'm ten! _I think in shock then shake my head knowing it was another memory of mine and decide to go along with it.

I grudgingly walk into the room that Nox had told me to be at before the sun had even risen. _Stupid Nox I don't care if he is my mentor I'm ten years old and would like to sleep in until the sun rises at least. _I think rubbing the sleep out of my eyes and let out a loud yawn. "What do I have to learn again?" I tiredly ask wanting to go to sleep right now, the room was nice and open with plenty of Alitura's plants around I could use for shade. "Why'd you make me get up so early anyways?" I ask looking around for Nox but find that he was nowhere to be found. _Of course…I bet my hairs sticking up everywhere again. _I think and try to flatten it so that it does not look so bad.

"I want to show you a technique known as Pupa Umbra." Nox tells me walking into the room still in his pajamas with his hair in disarray too. I laugh at the sight of him normally he is stoic and clean but right now was just the opposite. "Not a word Shadow I want see if you will even be able to use Pupa Umbra." He barks at me obviously he was not a morning person either I can tell by how he pinches the bridge of his nose and shakes his head at me.

I look up when I hear footsteps and see Ignis standing there I wave at him when he sees me. "Hi what're you doing here?" I ask him and notice how even this early his fiery red hair looked like it always did and his burning ember eyes were bright and shiny. _Well obviously he is totally a morning person._ I think and let out another yawn I hear Nox scold him on being late but then Ignis taunts him with how he was not looking so stoic and poise anymore.

"Ignis leave me be you were the one that volunteered for this now be quiet while I tell Shadow what he has to do!" Nox barks at him in anger. _Ugh Nox always gets so aggravated in the morning when he's not awake. _I think inwardly groaning at the fact that I will have to be on my best behavior so I do not accidently encore his wrath.

"You want him to learn a forbidden technique what do you think I'm going to do just stand here and wait on him to use it on me?" Ignis scoffs and I see Nox throw him a dark glare then stomp over to me.

"Actually Ignis yes I did expect you to do that now shut up!" Nox snaps at Ignis and I see Ignis back down which is not easy considering he had a lot of pride and stubborn like a bull. "Alright Shadow watch what I do and I want you to repeat it okay?" Nox asks me and I nod knowing that I have no choice in the matter.

"Alright I got it." I grumble and watch as he closes his eyes and his hands start to glow a shadowy black the danced like a flame. _Whoa that is awesome! _I think watching with intrigue as he concentrates and then a dark black swirling orb appears in his hands and he looks at me.

"This is Pupa Umbra a forbidden technique only able to be wielded by Dark Wielders. In English it roughly translates to shadow puppet and that is what it does it makes whoever it is used on a puppet all their senses controlled by the master. This orb is a manifestation of one's power and usually harmless." Nox says with a smirk on his face when he says usually. "But with Pupa Umbra you force your energy into another's and take control, I'm not particularly fond of it though." He says and the orb vanishes into thin air. I gulp when he motions for me to do the same as he.

"Uh…okay." I uncertainly say and close my eyes trying to concentrate but the only thing I get a sudden explosion that blasts me all the way across the room with a loud BANG than a THUD as I hit the wall then the floor. "I don't think it worked…" I dazedly say holding my hand and head up then both fall back to the floor and I can hear Ignis laughing at my misfortune.

"ARE YOU FEAKING SERIOUS? AHAHAHA THAT WAS A TOTAL FAIL SHADOW! THAT WAS AWESOME!" Ignis laughs and I raise my head up to see him rolling on the floor clutching his gut with tears streaming down his face. _Was it really that funny? _I think then look at Nox and see him chuckling softly which means yes, yes it was indeed as funny as Ignis was making it out to be.

"I suppose I should have explained it better." Nox finally says shaking his head at me then walks over to Ignis who had stopped rolling on the ground. "Close your eyes and concentrate on forming a shadow orb in your hand." He calmly tells me and I do as I am told. I form the orb in no time and smile when it doesn't blow up in my face. "Good now come over here to Ignis." He tells me and holds Ignis still. "Ignis don't move, think, just relax." He tells Ignis who was starting to look nervous the closer I got to him.

"Uh Nox you sure this is a good idea?" Ignis asks him trying to move back but Nox was holding him in place.

"I'm sure now Shadow close your eyes and imagine the orb entering Ignis." He tells me after which me and Ignis give him crazed looks. "Just do it I want to go back to bed and Shadow think of an order." He orders me irritation in his voice.

"Oh okay…" I say closing my eyes and place the orb on Ignis' chest I feel it enter then hear a soft thump. I crack open my eyes and see Ignis lying on the floor his usually bright ember eyes dull. "WHAT?" I shout in shock and immediately kneel down and start shaking him. "Ignis? Ignis? Nox what do I do?" I ask Nox and see him shaking his head at me I hear Ignis grunt softly then nothing.

"Tell him to do something Shadow." Nox tells me pinching the bridge of his nose. I quickly look up when I hear a cough and see Lu standing in the doorway his shaggy silver blonde hair slightly tangled a toothbrush in his mouth with toothpaste around his mouth and towel around his neck.

"Why's my bro on the ground?" He asks in a slightly concerned tone I see Nox smack his face and shake his head at me. "Well you two have an answer or do I have to ask him?" He calmly asks raising one of his eyebrow in question.

"Uh…no Ignis get up come on!" I say pulling his arm but he stands up almost immediately after I say it so I end up dangling from his forearm._ I hate being short. _I think and drop to the ground. "Uh Nox what am I supposed to do?" I ask him looking at Nox and then Ignis whose eyes were still dull. _What do I do? _I think hiding my panic from Lu who was walking over to us wiping the toothpaste's foam on the towel.

"Tell him to give Lu a hug he hates those." Nox whispers to me and I look at him than Lu.

"But he doesn't hate them from Alma." I tell Nox who smacks his face again and tells me that it was because Alma was his little sister she was the exception.

"Uh…" Ignis says his eyes beginning to regain their gleam and I feel relieved but then I feel a massive headache.

"Shadow you're losing control do it now." Nox snaps at me in a low tone so Lu doesn't hear us.

I jump and nod forgetting about the headache. "Right Ignis go give Lu a hug!" I say and point to Lu who stops and gives me a weird look.

"What?" Lu asks in shock and coughs when Ignis gives him a big bear hug. _I thought I said hug not bear hug? _I think scratching my head in confusion. "WHAT THE HELL? IGNIS LET GO OF ME OR I SWEAR I'LL KICK YOUR BUTT TO KINGDOM COME!" Lu shouts trying to break free of Ignis but Ignis' grip gets tighter. _Oh boy this is not going to end well. _I think and scoot behind Nox for protection.

Ignis grunts after a few moments of his older brother trying to kick him to let go. "Can't…" He manages to say in a strained tone as he tries to hold onto Lu who keeps shouting threats and all sorts of words that a ten year old should never hear.

I start to feel dizzy again and the world starts to sway back and forth. "Nox I don't feel so good." I say and put one foot back so I will not fall. I look over and see Nox smack his face again. _How many times has he done that already? _I wonder.

"This is going to end up bad." Nox grumbles shaking his head when Lu catches sight of him.

"NOX!" He shouts and continues to try to get away from Ignis. "LET GO!" He shouts his face turning red with rage at least I think it was I can barely see straight. I let out a soft groan and collapse to the floor Nox manages to grab me before my face connects with the floor though…

Ignis finally releases Lu and falls to the ground huffing as his eyes return to their bright burning ember color. "Never again." He huffs as he lays on the ground.

"JUST WHAT WERE YOU DOING?" Lu demands, glaring at Nox his neon blue eyes cold as ice.

Nox gently picks Shadow up and shakes his head. "Well I was trying to teach Shadow something and Ignis volunteered." He bluntly answers holding the young Shadow bridal style careful not to drop him.

Ignis sits up with a groan and holds his head in pain. "Agh my head why's it hurt so much that wasn't even what ten minutes?" He asks Nox as he holds his head and rubs his sore ribcage. _I think Lu broke a bone. _He thinks rubbing his ribcage that he was sure was black and blue.

Nox calmly shakes his head. "No it was only five." He corrects Ignis who huffs and continues to groan in pain.

Lu's eyebrow twitches as his temper rises, "Just what were you trying to teach him Nox?" He demands glaring at Nox who takes a few moments to think of what would be the best way to answer that.

"Well I was trying to teach him Pupa Umbra and honestly he sucks at it." Nox finally answers and ignores Lu's shocked looks.

Ignis scoffs and crosses his arms, "No kidding." He growls then looks at Lu with a sheepish smile. "Uh sorry for hugging you bro." He says rubbing the back of his head and laughs nervously.

Lu opens his mouth to speak but Nox starts before he manages to get the first words out of his mouth. "I know that it is a forbidden technique but I wanted to see if he would be able to learn it and he won't ever." Nox states as he looks down at the sleeping Shadow with an expression of relief.

Lue and Ignis exchange confused looks then ask Nox why he looked so relieved about Shadow not being able to perform that technique but both start to laugh when Shadow mumbles something about cookies in his sleep.

"I think you have your work cut out for you." Lu says after Nox refuses to answer their question but Ignis continues to laugh at what Shadow had said.

"He won't ever be able to use it." Nox says catching both their attentions.

"What?" Lu asks in shock while Ignis tries to argue and say that he had used it on him not a minute ago Nox nods his head agreeing with Ignis then takes a deep breath.

"That's the point Pupa Umbra is always at its strongest when they first wield it." Nox explains in a calm voice hoping they would stop questioning him and get the point.

"In other words he won't ever go over five minutes?" Lu asks in a skeptic tone with a thin eyebrow raised in question.

Nox nods then laughs, "Just like I thought." He says shaking his head when the three start to vanish into darkness along with the room the four had been in.

… … …

Shadow grumbles something in his sleep then starts to softly nibble the ends of Alma's hair that were in his face and continues to mumble about cookies.

"Uh…Alma I think Shadow is eating yer hair." Tyran says pointing to Shadow who woke up a moment and spit the hair out of his mouth.

"Ugh why do I have hair in my mouth?" Shadow asks and tries to move when he sees that he is on Alma's back. "Uh…" He starts but stops as his face starts to heat up and he lowers his face so Alma wouldn't see him blushing. _She's carrying me? Why would she I don't remember falling asleep. _He thinks then flinches at the memory.

"Well you can get down now we're at the Vatican." Alma says as they stop a bit of ways from the gate. _He looks a lot better I guess he needed a nap. _She thinks laughing when she sees Shadow blush and he quickly hops off onto the ground.

"Wait why're we at the Vatican?" Shadow asks her looking at the massive cross and blinks a few times trying to recall the last time saw a cross that big he came up with nothing.

"This is where we stay." Tyran dryly answers keeping his distance from Shadow who barely seems to notice mesmerized at the sight of all the lights. _The fact that he acts like he has no idea is really getting on my nerves. _He thinks closing his eyes to calm down.

"Really? It's so massive!" Shadow gasps then sees the guards at the gates. "Can we just walk in?" He asks blinking a few times looking straight at the guards who ignore him. _Well aren't they friendly. _He thinks feeling his mouth twitch.

"I would very much like too but I am afraid I must take my leave my kind is not very well welcomed here." William says waving to the group as he leaves to go back to the building they came from hoping to get everything back to normal.

"That's right we should get going to." Ace says and sends Shadow a dark glare before she grabs Eva's hand and takes off toward her home. "If you guys want our help then I guess you will just have to find us." She calls over her shoulder with Eva waving happily at the group.

"BYE! HEY SHADOW HAVE FUN WITH THE QUESTIONS!" Eva happily calls a wide smile on her face as she waves to the group and then the two vanish around the corner.

Alma watches the two until they vanish and laughs nervously she turns to see if Shadow had even heard but when she looks she doesn't see him. "Where'd he go?" She asks then hears people shouting and looks over to the guards who were yelling at Shadow for something. _Oh boy this is going to be fun. _She thinks rolling her eyes as she follows Abel who had rushed over and was trying to calm the guards and Shadow but it ended up with Shadow kicking one of them in the shin and then turning his back on them. Alma and the other Guardians sigh and sweat drop at how he was acting.

_**Shadow: Why am I actin' like a child?**_

_**Alma: Because you are a child.**_

_**Shadow: Are not!**_

_**Alma: Are too!**_

_**Shadow: Not!**_

_**Alma: Too!**_

_**Shadow: NOT!**_

_**Alma: TOO!**_

_**Author: Okay while they do that I wanna say I hope ya'll like and remember reviews help me improve the story XP Hope ya'll liked bye!**_

_**Shadow/Alma: Bye!(go back to arguing)**_

_**Author: (Sighs) bye hope ya'll liked!**_


	26. Chapter 26

_**Hi! Sorry it took so long to update! I have no excuse…well except that I kind of skip around when I write stories because I can't ever seem to focus on one at a time…but anyways I'm back to working on this this and Hunted! Whoo! So I should update it more frequently rather than gosh how long was it since I updated this story? I should end this note before it turns into a rant! Well here's the new chapter! Enjoy!**_

Chapter 26

Catarina looks at Shadow who is awkwardly standing in the middle of her office looking around at her office trying to look everywhere but at her making it painfully obvious that he does not want to speak with the woman that sits behind the desk, her red robes surrounding her. "And I assume you are Shadow?" She finally asks him catching his attention and sees the anxiety in his ocean blue eyes that he is trying to hide, now she knows why he wasn't making eye contact earlier, he knew she would see his anxiety. Alma and the others had left in order to let Catarina speak with Shadow alone who had told Mickele to go back home and tell the others what he was doing and that he would be back as soon as he could so they shouldn't worry.

"Yeah…?" Shadow asks her not really sure how to answer because he is pretty sure she knows who he is and also the fact that this lady is scary. _Scarier than anyone I know...well almost anyone Isis is freaky scary when mad, I think I still have a bit of frostbite. _He thinks trying to stay calm but he is still tired and actually would rather be asleep.

"Are you not certain that you are Shadow?" She asks him and he growls at what she said but doesn't allow the smart comment he wants to say come. _This is the main enemy? _She thinks feeling her eyebrow twitch watching as Shadow tries to keep his composure.

"Yeah I'm pretty sure I'm Shadow." He says in a matter of fact tone. "What exactly do ya wanna know lady?" He asks his irritation getting the best of him for the moment. "Cause I'd rather be asleep than be here." He scoffs looking away from the Cardinal.

Catarina's eyebrow twitches again at the fact that he is going to be difficult now. "I honestly don't care I want answers and the other three will not tell me a thing!" She barks and sees him smirk then chuckle softly obviously he is amused at her frustration with the others and it is not boding well with her. "I'm sorry is something funny?" She irritably asks closing her eyes to calm down.

Shadow looks at her a moment than looks out passed her to her window that is showing the night sky filled with the stars that seem so dim compared to the city's lights. "No, not really but we're both irritated and I'm tired to top it off, so ya gotta be more specific if ya want answers." He says glancing at her a moment then goes back to watching the night sky his thoughts drifting back to his home with its' large courtyard that only has the sky to light it and allows the night to boasts its' beauty.

Catarina looks up at him and sees his longing expression for some reason, one that if anyone asked her she could not explain, she feels sorry for him and contradictory to how the others spoke of him she felt he is harmless. "Okay well how about this, what exactly are you and your friends searching for?" She asks him noticing him tense up a moment but it quickly passes.

Shadow looks away from the night sky to look directly at Catarina his ocean blue eyes set like stone with a serious expression. "Try something less complicated to explain." He coolly tells her and closes his eyes. "Cause there're tons of ways to explain that." He explains to her in a calm tone.

Catarina sighs somehow she knew that it wouldn't be that easy to get the answers she wanted she takes a moment to mull over her options of questions that she can ask to possibly get answers to but the only one that came to mind was, why did the others not trust Shadow. "Fine answer this one question and I will leave you be." She sternly tells him and inwardly smirks when Shadow looks at her with an interested expression clearly she has his attention. "Why do the others not trust you?" She asks him noticing him freeze at the words followed by a flash of pain in his eyes then him looking away to the floor.

_What do I say? _Shadow thinks in a panic squeezing his eyes shut and takes a deep breath as he prepares to answer after all as he saw it, it would be easier to tell a complete stranger the truth then one of his friends whom he fears will not understand or worse will look down on him. "Because I…how do I put this without you thinking I'm a complete idiot, which I am by the way for not doing this sooner." He tells her rubbing his neck and sighs. "Seventeen years ago my mentor Nox died…he was killed actually but he died and I was left to train on my own you following me so far?" He asks in one breath and takes a deep breath Catarina nods. "Well I was doin' pretty good as far as leadin' and all that, until fifteen years ago…" He nervously says his quick tone dying down to little more than a sigh and fails to notice not the other three heads that are secretly watching him.

"What happened fifteen years ago?" Catarina asks prompting him to continue after a few minutes pass and he doesn't continue on his own. She keeps her mouth shut and closely watches as Shadow slowly sits down his hands shaking slightly from nervousness for a few seconds he just stares at his hands lost in thought but then he looks up at the ceiling a worried expression on his face as the thoughts of the past and his dark secret that he has desperately wanted to tell someone about swirl through his mind.

It takes Shadow a moment to actually think about how he will explain it but finally he gives up on trying to explain it and decides to tell her what he knew as quick as possible hoping that she would drop it. He takes a deep breath and exhales then takes another one and very quickly while he looks at the Cardinal tells her, "To put it simply Nox he came back like a ghost but if it was just a ghost it would be alright. He wasn't Nox though he was twisted, evil, everything that was the opposite of Nox." He very quickly and briskly explains only stopping to take another breath but before he can continue Alma loses her balance and falls on her face in the doorway.

"Uh…hi?" She asks smiling at Shadow whose face can only be described as pure horror with a mix of disbelief and a hint of pink on his cheeks followed by him falling out of his chair to the cold floor in shock.

"You-how-when? AH WHY WERE YA'LL EVEASDROPPIN'?" Shadow finally cries recovering from his shock and glares at Alma who smiles at him again and rubs her neck in anxiety. How he wishes for nothing more than to be able to disappear right now, he did not intend on Alma hearing his confession but now that she has he felt like simply breaking down fearing the ridicule that will follow shortly he is certain of it.

"Well it was an accident really." Alma explains in a timid voice as she waits for Shadow's retaliation but doesn't look up to see Shadow's expression. Tyran who has been scowling through Shadow's explanation takes a step forward as his rage flows off him in small short waves that heat the air around him.

"Who cares if we did it on purpose or not? Why didn't you tell us about Nox?!" Tyran demands as he walks into the room a stone cold expression upon his face. "Did you think we wouldn't believe you?" He asks furious at the fact that Shadow never even tried to tell them but he is also hurt with the thought of him thinking they wouldn't believe him and angry with himself for not being able to figure out sooner.

"No it wasn't that…I knew you guys would believe me and I tried to tell you once." Shadow softly says his eyes drift around the room then to the floor too ashamed to look any of his friends, that he isn't even sure he still had the right to call them that, in the eyes.

Tyran tries to think of something to say but all he can think of is how confused he is by Shadow's answer. "What do you mean 'tried' the only thing I remember is you using Pupa Umbra on me." He finally says in defiance pointing to Shadow who has a perplexed expression on his face. "What's that look for are you telling me you have no memory of that?!" He demands scowling.

Shadow nods for his answer lost at Tyran's words then smacks his face in realization and grumbles something inaudible. "I can't even hold Pupa Umbra for five minutes I think Nox used it on you when I tried to tell you." He says shaking his head irritated with how he hadn't thought of it sooner. _No wonder Tyran was acting so weird…and that would also explain the dark aura I felt near him. _He thinks sighing. "He didn't want anyone to know and when I tried to tell…" He starts but trails off and doesn't finish knowing they will know where he is going with his explanation.

"So yer telling me that the memory I have of **you** attacking us is fake?" Tyran asks in confusion not sure what to think and looks back at Alma who shrugs.

"Why you lookin' at me heck if I know but if I remember it an' Scarlet remembers it I doubt it's fake." She states in a blunt tone to Tyran as she shrugs and shakes her head.

"No it's real but it wasn't me Nox is like a shapeshifter now and I guess since he really doesn't have a physical form-

"Wait what?!" Alma asks in shock interrupting Shadow's explanation. "What do ya mean no physical form?" She asks him her voice raised to a near squeak as she tries to imagine person without a physical form even ghosts, in her mind, have a physical form even though to her it was like a mist form it was still a form all the same.

Shadow sighs and tries to think of a way to explain it without sounding to confusing. "Just that he has no solid form, no body all he is just shadows he has the power to transform into anyone he wants, aside from himself that is, I don't know why he can't though I would've asked him about it but I think he'd attack me." He muses a moment rubbing his chin in thought. "Well not think he'd definitely attack me I think I still have a mark from last time I spoke with him." He absent mindedly says in a soft voice making it hard for the others to hear what he says.

"So he shape-shifted into you and chased after us?" Alma asks then smacks her fist to her palm. "That's why ya…I mean he was so harsh to me an' Scarlet when we tried to ask ya if somethin' was wrong!" She barks and then looks at Shadow who nods though he has no idea what she was referring to it is better if he just nods. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US?!" She demands grabbing his shoulders and starts shaking him. _Does he know how betrayed I feel?_She thinks and stops shaking him.

"Well….I really wanted to but…I was scared." Shadow mumbles under his breath not really wanting to tell them how he had been scared but when he looks up and sees Alma's hurt eyes he sighs in defeat. _Why does she have to use those eyes? _He thinks looking down and shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath. "I was scared alright." He says so they hear and looks away ashamed and guilty, more than he was before thanks to Alma's hurt expression.

"Scared of what?" Alma asks in soft voice.

"I'd rather not say…" Shadow says looking at Alma then the ground. "But on the bright side I told ya'll!" He suddenly chirps smiling nervously. _What else can I say, oh he just threatened to kill you and the others like it was nothing and even promised that I would have front row seat to watch? Yeah right like they'd believe me with that even if it is true…I find it hard to believe and I was there! _He thinks inwardly sighing with guilt at not being able to have enough courage to tell them.

Alma's eyebrow twitches and she gives Shadow a 'really did you just say that?' look and shakes her head at him. "Only you Shadow would do that." She sighs and wants to punch him so bad for making her feel so betrayed but doesn't and instead walks over and hugs him. "Ya know I'm never gonna let ya live this down right?" She whispers to him a sweet smile on her face as she let's go. "Also yer gonna have ta tell us why ya were scared of 'im sooner or later." She softly adds in the same tone.

"Dang it an' here I thought I'd get away scot-free for tellin' ya'll guess I was wrong." Shadow replies with a soft chuckle at the end. "So-owww!" He yelps when Tyran smacks his head hard enough to where he lost his balance and falls to the ground. "Owww what was that for?" He whines holding his head and whimpers in pain, this was the type of ridicule that he expected but it still hurt probably more because he had expected it but not so hard.

"For being an idiot and not telling us!" Tyran barks to Shadow his pale jade green eyes blazing but sighs after a moment. "You've got way more explaining to do when we get back." He growls pointing to Shadow and leaves the room so he wouldn't smack Shadow to the ends of the earth for being such an idiot. _God he's such an idiot at times…but I guess I can see where he's coming from. _He thinks walking down the hall his hands in his pockets as he heads to his room and tries to imagine how he could have figured it all out earlier.

"WHAT DO YA MEAN BACK?!" Shadow shouts then trips over his foot trying to chase after Tyran and ends up hitting his face on the floor. "Ow." He mumbles and raises his head up rubbing his now red face. _Awesome way to fall Shadow trip over yer own feet. _He thinks inwardly groaning at how he probably looked like fool if he hadn't already, which he highly doubts that there was not a point that he did not look like a fool to someone.

"Back to our home where else?" Scarlet scoffs rolling her eyes at Shadow who immediately jumps up.

"WHAT?!" Shadow and Alma shout in unison both in shock. "WHEN WAS THIS DECIDED?! WHY WAS I NOT TOLD OF THIS?!" They both demand only to get an amused look from Scarlet followed by a soft chuckle.

"You two really are two of a kind." She sighs shaking her head as she laughs softly. "We're leaving in the morning so you two will know when to be ready." She says walking out the door leaving the other two standing in shock.

Alma and Shadow look at each other then look at Catarina whose eyes were slightly widened and a shocked look on her face. "I had no idea about this." They both state then look at each other. "QUITE COPYING ME!" They shout to the other and stop for a moment. "YOU FIRST!" They shout again and finally the two huff and turn their backs on the other but quickly start back up.

Catarina sighs at how the two are acting she had hoped they would be more mature or worried about Nox but apparently they aren't. "Will you two stop acting like two year olds and start acting your age?" She barks to them making them stop and look at her then shake their heads. "Why not?" She asks even though she found it pointless to do so how they spoke of time the fact that Shadow had said seventeen years ago even though he only looks around sixteen confuses the Cardinal and she figures that after they answer her question she'll ask them how old they are, …_or at least a range of their age, _she thinks as she holds her forehead.

"Uh…can we jus' say we're probably older than yer Crusnik friend?" Shadow asks her and gives her a confused look when she jolts up and looks at him. "What?" He asks in a genuinely innocent voice that told her 'did I say something wrong?'

"How do you know that Abel is a Crusnik?" She asks him and he looks at Alma a moment in bewilderment she didn't remember having told them that but then again if they had managed to avoid the war surely they had to know who the Crusniks were.

"Well….we know because-I got nothing you explain it Alma." Shadow bluntly states crossing his arms and looks away with a pouting expression as he continues to try to think of a good way to explain how they knew but all the explanations comes up with are either 'because we do' or are too long and complicated.

Alma glares at him a second then sighs knowing he isn't going to answer anytime soon. "We've been here since the war began before actually so isn't it reasonable for us to know who's who and who's what?" Alma asks Catarina in a calm tone while Shadow inwardly smacks himself for not thinking of that.

"I suppose but-wait you and your friends have been here since pre-Armageddon so why didn't you fight in the battle?" The Cardinal asks the two and notices them shift uncomfortably at the question as she tries to recall any information at all about perhaps someone with powers like the Guardians who had aided but she came up with nothing so she decided to make a mental note and ask Kate about it later though she doubted she would come up with anything either considering how well they had managed to stay hidden for so long which brought up another question in her mind, how did they manage to stay hidden so well? Surely they couldn't have simply hid in the shadows...no they must have some other way to keep themselves hidden but what it is exactly the Cardinal has no clue and she doubts they will tell her.

"…how to answer that?" Alma asks herself and then snaps her fingers. "I could show you what happened!" She happily says and before Catarina or Shadow could tell her no they are blinded by a white light and when it fades they see a group of Guardians with Alitura in the middle most of the Guardians seemed to be arguing and she also notice that no one seemed to be under their twenties in the group…

"Calm down everyone we have to discuss the matter at hand." Alitura calmly speaks as she raises her hand to silence the group who quickly listen and the once loud room grows silence as they all look at Alitura their leader and wait patiently for her to speak.

"What's there to discuss if the humans get wiped out we're next!" Ignis barks breaking the tranquil silence but fails to notice his older brother beside him sigh and send him a disapproving look as if to scold him for being so brash.

"If they can't find us we won't have to worry leave the war to the two who started it." Luminos bluntly states and ignores his young brother's shocked looks because it was unusual for the elder brother to speak so quickly about events like this, the war that was consuming the land and the only reason they hadn't even been discovered yet was because of a cloaking device that had been built before the war when the tensions between the two warring races were building.

"But what if they find us and we get dragged into the war?" Another asks her soft pink hair bouncing as she nervously hops from foot to foot anxious to get the meeting over with so she could go back to gardening and treating the indoor forest/arena.

"Why should we aid one side in the end we'll end up losing anyway if the humans win they'll want to use our powers for their ideas and if the Methuselahs win they'll want to use us for cattle like the humans since their probably won't be anymore left." Nox states and shrugs when everyone else shouts at him as he expected and mentally sighs telling himself he should have seen that coming. "What? It's a possibility!" He argues back and another argument breaks out over whether they should aid the humans, Methuselahs, or stay out of it for as long as they could many wanted to aid the humans since they saw it as their duty, but most would rather stay out of the war seeing it as pointless and many might die for no good cause, and even a few mostly the youngest ones there thought about walking out seeing as how the older Guardians weren't really concerned with them well aside from Ignis and Luminos who were at each other's throats.

"Everyone listen." Alitura calmly says raising both hands as she tries to calm everyone but they all just shout louder and the volume continues to grow until she closes her eyes and clenches her jaw. "LISTEN!" She shouts her normally soft, gentle, soothing voice rising above everyone else's voices to the point where they all stop and look at her in shock having not heard her shout like that for quite some time since the last time Tyran nearly killed his mentor while trying to drive. "Thank you now listen I am going to speak with Lilith-

"A Crusnik?" Isis asks in shock and surprise. "Don't they feed on the Methuselahs?" She feebly asks having heard tales of such creatures that were fighting for the Methuselahs but fed on them which was slightly or rather very revolting to her and Alitura nods in response which makes her shiver and rub her arms.

"Yes she is and she works for the Vatican which is trying to defend humanity. I wish to speak with her of the war." Alitura serenely says as the scene vanishes and the three are in the office again.

"So yeah ya see we couldn't really decide and since we didn't want to be divided we all stayed out of the war but we kind of helped out." Alma happily chirps. "Oh and we were kind of eavesdropping in on the conversation if you wanted to know why you didn't see us!" She adds in the happy but hush, hush voice. "Shadow will explain how we helped out!" She chirps again gesturing to Shadow with a bright smile on her face.

Shadow rolls his eyes and shakes his head smiling at how Alma was acting like a small child. "Like having the Wind Wielders bring in freezing winds when the Methuselahs were getting ahead, Ice Wielders helped keep it cold so they couldn't move." He explains one of the scenarios when the Guardians had secretly aided in the battle. "While we secretly helped the humans we also had our own worries." He continues as Alma nods in agreement and mentions how a lot of times when the Guardians would help, something would happen and they would have to back down. "So yeah we tried to help but with our own worries we weren't that much help." He bluntly states shrugging as he sits down in one of the chairs and gazes out the window lost in thought at all that was going on during that time so many Guardians died during that war and they hadn't even been a part of it he often wondered if they should have just manned the front then they would have at least died in battle and not the terrible painful death from that disease.

Catarina sighs and looks at the two. "I suppose these worries weren't Nox so could you please explain what they were?" She asks the two and gets a nod from both.

"Uh stuff." Alma says sitting down in the other chair. "What?" She asks when both Catarina and Shadow send her cold looks.

"That is not what I meant can I have a better explanation?" Catarina asks in an irritated voice.

"Well…no not really." Alma says and quickly leaves the room so she doesn't get interrogated anymore. "Good luck Shadow!" She calls from down the hall leaving the young Guardian to fend for himself against the Cardinal.

Shadow stares in shock a moment then glares at the door and hopes Alma knows he was going to get her for that. _That ain't right. _He thinks crossing his arms and looks at Catarina who sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. _Maybe I can sneak away while she ain't lookin'? _He thinks getting up and sneaks toward the door.

"Do you really want to try that?" Catarina asks looking up and Shadow freezes just mere inches from the door he quietly walks back and slumps down. "I didn't think so are you going to give me a better explanation?" She asks and he shrugs.

"I don't know how to explain it…well maybe you and a few others could come with us we have a meetin' tomorrow and that's why we all gotta go back." Shadow muses mainly to himself. "Then ya'll would be able meet everyone though there ain't that much there's Ignis, Lu, Isis, Bolt would be funny, Aqua…who else? Crud I really should try to remember their names and not just their faces." He continues lost in thought rubbing his chin thoughtfully after a few more seconds of him muttering to himself trying to recall all the names he looks at Catarina who has a blank look on her face. "Sorry I was talkin' to myself but seriously ya'll could come over not like we do much jus' discuss business and the really important matters can be discussed elsewhere." He says in a calm business like tone.

Catarina hides her shock at how the young teen who was previously sulking like a child was now acting so mature. "I see…" She says after a moment recovering from her shock Shadow smiles and nods and then starts talking to himself on how he was going to be in trouble with Lu and some of the other older Guardians for bringing in strangers but he we was certain Catarina wouldn't try anything. _He does realize I'm still here right? _She thinks with an eyebrow raised and sighs when he continues to ramble.

"But then again last time we trusted Len he betrayed-

"Who's Len?" Catarina quickly asks cutting Shadow's rambling off and from the look on his face she can tell he completely forgot she was even there.

"Oh Len? He's no one at least not anymore he died a LONG time ago I think from old age." Shadow muses as he starts to ramble again this time mentioning how he never really knew Len because he was already gone when Shadow was born and something about maybe Tyran remembering who he was since he was at least three hundred years older than Shadow. "Then again he may not Tyran was mainly with his mentor Aeolus…" He grumbles under his breath and looks at Catarina a moment. "Not the Greek god he was just named after him he was one of the most talented with controlling wind." He explains and continues his rambling.

… … …

The young man starts pacing back and forth anxiety written all over his face as the other watches with an eyebrow rose. "Night I'm telling you that _Len _person can't be trusted." Nox tells the man that was standing across from him on the other side of the desk.

"Nox calm down what could Len have done that would make you distrust him so much?" Night calmly asks his silver eyes flicker in the candle's light and his silver white hair shine with the soft glow of the candle.

Nox looks away his dark eyes drift to the solid marble floor. "I know you won't believe me when I say this but I could have sworn I heard him talking the evening before last I'm not sure who but he mentioned the orbs! Night he also mentioned money you have to do something!" He tells in an urgent tone pleading for the silver haired man who calmly shakes his head to listen to him. Nox grits his teeth and forces his anxiety to settle down a moment so he could think clearly when Night answers him he really didn't want to have a misunderstanding because of his anxiety.

Night takes a moment to think about what the other had said than sighs softly. "Nox are you sure you may not have misheard him?" Night asks Nox who shakes his head. _If what he said is true then I cannot risk trusting Len but if what he said is wrong or he just misheard him…Nox is not one to lie so he must be sure of what he hear…but still I should talk to Aurora about this. _Night thinks holding his chin in deep thought he truly wanted to follow his long time friend's word but he also didn't want to risk endangering the delicate trust they had with the young race of humans. "Let me talk to Aurora about it Nox then I will tell you what I think." He finally says with a sigh and sits down in his chair to continue mulling over Nox's words.

Nox sighs with a disappointed look on his face but he understands that Night needed time to think and leaves the room. _I know what I heard I have to prove it. _He thinks grunting when he bumps into Len who was a tall lanky man with shifty dark eyes that were constantly scanning the area this was partially the reason Nox never truly liked the man. "What are you doing here Len?" He asks hiding his distrust toward the man by forcing a smile and friendly tone.

"Oh Nox I wanted to speak with Night is he home?" Len asks an innocent look on his pale face but his eyes show shock at seeing the taller man before him and also a hint of fear beneath the shock. How he was able to hide his true emotions was another of the reasons Nox disliked the man as did some of the others Night included didn't like how the man hid them.

Nox resists the urge to interrogate the human that stood before him and instead nods. "Of course he is." He dryly says and blocks Len's path so he could ask him a question and try to figure out if he was hiding anything. "What do you want to speak to him about?" He asks and notices Len give him a dark look but it quickly vanishes which makes Nox silently stiffen.

"I merely wanted to ask him something that **you **have no business knowing." Len calmly says in a sweet tone smiling at Nox who was taken back at his words. "Now if you will excuse me Nox I would like to pass." He says in the same tone and brushes by Nox who was still in shock from his previous comment.

"Why you-" Nox growls quickly turning and reaches for Len with the intent of slamming him into the wall but he stops just short of the back of Len's head. _Don't do it Nox you'll give him leverage. _He reminds himself and leaves still furious about Len's words his fist clenched to his side as he heads to the training room to blow off some steam…

"AH!" Abel shouts jumping up from his sleep covered in a cold sweat he looks around trying to see if he was in his room or somewhere thankfully for him he was where he remembered and let out a sigh of relief. "What…?" He asks in shock trying to comprehend the dream he just had perplexed by who he saw. "What was that who were those people?" He asks himself rubbing his forehead then feels the shock pass but sleep does not return instead he lays there too many questions flying around in his head for some unknown reason those names sounded familiar but he knew he knew no one by the name of Nox or Night. "I suppose I could mention it tomorrow during breakfast." He mumbles as he tries to fall back to sleep but eventually gets out of bed and gets dressed to take a walk in the night air hoping to clear his head and get his mind off of the dream.

… … …

Catarina sighs knowing that Shadow was purposely continuing his rambling just so she would drop the Len subject. _Maybe I can ask some of the other Guardians since they invited us. _She thinks mulling over the opportunity and doesn't notice Shadow creep out of the room into the hallway. "Shadow would it be alright-Shadow?" She asks looking up after a few minutes of pondering and sees Shadow gone. "Unbelievable." She growls shaking her head in shock.

_Take one step at a time and don't make a sound. _Shadow thinks as he silently tiptoes down the hallway aiming for the gates since he had no idea where to go. _Wait I don't have any idea how to get back to the gates I was too captivated by the lights earlier. _He thinks stopping in the middle of the hallway quite a ways from Catarina's office. "I wonder if Alma or someone else will help me." He muses not paying attention to the footsteps behind him.

"Shadow?" Abel asks catching the young teen by surprise making him jump in fright. "Sorry I didn't mean to scare you but you looked a little lost." He says in a kind tone as Shadow quickly looks around trying to find the best escape route.

_Should I stay? Maybe I can ask him to show me around but what if Catarina decides to come looking for me?! I think I should run I can out run him right? I mean I out ran Lu when he was ticked at me! I still firmly believe that it was not my fault he walked into the trap I'd set for Tyran…AH! I need to pay attention to the matter at hand not that lil' fact! _Shadow thinks shaking his head to try to focus before he finally decides to just stay and ask Abel for directions. "Yeah I'm lost if ya could jus' show me the way to the gates I'll be good from there." He says looking around making sure Catarina wasn't going after him and stifles a yawn. _Dang it I'm even more tired than I was earlier maybe going home isn't a good idea…I could after all just teleport there…nah that'd take too much energy which I don't have at the moment. _He thinks forgetting Abel was there as he continued to try to ponder the pros and cons of leaving for his home and staying at the Vatican. "Maybe I should…nah that won't do…" He grumbles to himself lost in thought.

Abel tilts his head to the side in confusion watching Shadow mumble to himself not sure what to say to the young teen when he remembers the names of the two from the dream. "Shadow may I ask you something?" He asks Shadow who was preoccupied with his thoughts and doesn't pay attention when Abel asks him something so Shadow just nods his head not really fully listening to Abel. "Do you happen to know of any Guardians named Nox or Night?" Abel wearily asks and notices Shadow immediately look up with a hint of shock on his face for a moment Abel wonders if it was a good idea to ask.

Shadow quickly snaps out of his thoughts when he hears Abel asks the question. "How'd you know about Nox? Who's Night?" He asks an icy edge to his voice when Nox's name was mentioned but it quickly vanished when he questioned the second name. _Night as in the Night I hear? He's real?! Well of course he's real but I mean he was like really a Guardian? _Shadow thinks hiding his shock from Abel who was giving Shadow a weary look and Shadow could swear he heard someone else's voice swearing under their breath but he quickly brushes it off as nothing and focuses on Abel's questions. "Why do you want to know about them?" He asks raising a quizzical eyebrow as he waits for Abel's answer.

"Well no reason it's just that-" Abel begins but quickly cuts himself off. "It was nothing really! You said you wanted me to show you to the gates?" Abel says changing the subject and smiles his famous smile when Shadow gives him a skeptical look but eventually nods allowing Abel to change the topic that he wasn't too comfortable with either. _Well that's a relief. _Abel thinks sighing and looks back at Shadow who still seemed to be debating over something in his mind. "I don't think your friends would be too pleased if you left Shadow." Abel kindly tells him placing a comforting hand on Shadow's shoulder and gives him a gentle smile. In turn Shadow looks away towards the ground in shame knowing that Abel was right. "Unfortunately we don't have any rooms ready for you at the moment," Abel says with a soft laugh and looks at Shadow who was still looking at the ground. Abel let's out an inaudible sigh at the fact that he somehow managed to make Shadow feel guilty when that was certainly not his intentions so he quickly continues in the same cheery tone he spoke in before, "but since you were probably only going to be staying the night you won't need one you can sleep in the infirmary for tonight." He tells Shadow who glances at Abel a moment before lowering his head back down.

"I don't see the harm in it…" Shadow answers after he takes a deep breath and looks up at Abel who was beaming with happiness. "But I don't know where it is." He bluntly states and inwardly snickers when Abel's glee falters a moment but he quickly recovers and Abel's smile grows even more and he starts to lead Shadow toward the infirmary where he would stay the night at. _Besides on the bright side I can get some sleep…yeah leaving would not have been a good idea I probably would have passed out before I reached home and if not I definitely would've passed out before I reached my room. _Shadow thinks silently laughing at his earlier foolishness but his laughter is short lived when he recalls Abel's question. _How does he know Nox? I don't ever remember telling him about Nox…and who's Night I only kno-no way! The two can't be the same could they? Wait I was already going over this with myself not too long ago…wasn't I? _He silently ponders stopping in the middle of the hall behind Abel as a million thoughts fly through his head each one ending with the same question, was the Night that spoke to him and the Night, Abel spoke of the same?

Abel not noticing Shadow had stopped quite a ways back continues to chatter to himself until he finally glances back and sees Shadow standing in the middle of the hall a distant look on his face with his brows furrowed in concentration. "Shadow are you alright?" Abel asks in a concerned tone as he walks back over to Shadow who didn't seem to be paying any attention. "Shadow?" He asks again bending down to Shadow's eye level leaning forward until the two are nearly nose to nose and nearly falls back when Shadow blinks and glares at Abel.

"Dude it's creepy that yer so close to my face." Shadow growls his eyes usually dark ocean blue eyes blazing with rage and he continues to glare at the taller man until Abel finally scoots back and stands up even then his eyes don't die down for a bit. "Yer worse than Alma when it comes to personal space." Shadow grumbles crossing his arms and looks the opposite direction of Abel who laughs slightly as he apologizes to Shadow and suggest that they hurry to the infirmary so that Shadow could get some rest.

Once they got to the infirmary Shadow looked around at all the beds and asked if it mattered which on he took. "No it shouldn't matter you can sleep wherever you like." Abel cheerfully says and waits until Shadow finds a bed before he turns to leave. "I hope you sleep well-oh." Abel says when he looks and sees Shadow already asleep. "He must have been tired." He chuckles and heads back to his room to sleep.

… … …

Abel sighs in contempt as he lays under his blankets and closes his eyes the short walk and encounter with Shadow had made him tired so he quickly falls asleep. "Hopefully I won't have any more weird dreams…" He murmurs as he drifts off into the realm of sleep…

I wake up when I hear a loud clap of thunder and jolt up out of what I think of my bed but when I look around I'm lying in mud and it's pouring down rain while lightning fills the sky making it look like day and the booming thunder that had awakened me shakes the earth as it roars throughout the cloud covered sky. "How did I end up here?" I franticly ask looking around and stand up covered in mud with rain pelting down on me. "Where am I?" I ask looking around seeing a large crème white building beside me and a forest around it. I stand still a moment and hear the sound of sloshing footsteps behind me.

"LEN WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" I hear someone shout trying to be heard over the massive claps of thunder. "LEN!" I hear them shout again and as I turn I see Night from the earlier dream with Len running from him with a dark glass orb in one hand and small brown barely sack in the other.

"This must be a dream." I whisper watching as the two men race past me not even giving me a second glance. _They must not be able to see me. _I think watching as Night eventually tackles Len to the ground and the two wrestle for the orb Night's silver hair turning brown with the mud as Len struggles to get away. "What's going on?" I ask and walk toward the two when I hear another voice and see Nox round the corner holding his side in pain and I see blood dripping from his side.

"Nox! You should be getting medical attention not-GAK!" Night gags when Len's elbow slams into his throat making him stagger back and release Len.

"Treacherous fiend!" Nox shouts rushing past me and attempts to attack Len but he holds up the orb he had been holding and I notice a crack in it. Nox apparently doesn't see and continues until Night jumps up and knocks him down as the orb starts to glow. "Ni-no…" Nox whispers watching as the orb unleashes a beam of black energy that slams into Night and sends him crashing through several of the trees behind me. "NIGHT!" He shouts and looks up at Len who is hovering above him a twisted look on his face.

"You look scared Nox." Len says holding the orb and I notice the crack is gone but the orb continues to glow with an ominous feeling about it making the air feel heavy all around. I just stand there watching the entire event unfold not sure what to do since I know I'm not a part of this world and any attempts to stop him would be futile. "Could it be because you know I just defeated the strongest of you?" He asks smirking when Nox doesn't answer. "Or the fact that you can't stop me because if you do you will end up just as Night did." He states snickering at Nox then turns and leaves with the orb in hand and the sack in the other.

"Night!" Nox shouts standing up wincing as he does so and rushes over to Night, I follow him but not before I glance back at the direction Len went. _Why are those orbs so important? _I think and reach the spot Night had landed only to see him surrounded by trees with several on top of him and blood smeared on his face and everywhere else. "Oh god." Nox breathes rushing over to Night who doesn't seem awake. "Night wake up! Come on we need to get you to Alitura she can heal you." He says as he struggles to move the trees but Night stops him.

"No Nox she won't be able to…" Night tells him in a strained tone and I look away feeling like I was an intruder to this world I shouldn't be witnessing this but I am for reasons that I do not know I am watching something that I know is no longer a dream but an actual event that happened in the past. "Len has the orbs you have to get them back…" He says smiling a bit and gasps in pain when one of the trees shift and slide down crushing his right arm.

"Night don't talk like that! Come on we can get you healed Alitura's the best there is!" Nox argues moving the trees again careful to not make them slip. "You can't die what about Aurora or you son? Night your son was born tonight you haven't even seen him!" He barks in rage moving the last of the trees that was on top of Night and picks him up.

"Nox…I told you she won't be able to the orb was cracked and then after I got hit it wasn't it stole my life force to heal itself and that's what they will do until they are returned there's not much else you can do." Night answers in a tired tone with a weary smile but I see his eyes filled with determination even though his body was broken his spirit was still strong.

"You're wrong! I'll get you to Alitura and she'll heal you, you'll see!" Nox replies in a panicked tone and I lower my head because there was no way Night could survive his entire body looks broken. "Don't worry." Nox says but drops to his knees and I see the wound in his side has grown and was bleeding more. _He's so determined to help that he's ignoring his own injuries…but his body can't push itself any more. _I think looking away from the scene and close my eyes I figured out earlier that this is real it actually happened so why must I see it?

"Nox you need to not push yourself…" Night coughs in ragged breaths and I hear slight movement. I open my eyes to see him patting Nox on the back but something looks different than before he almost looks transparent like he's fading away. "Look at me Nox I'm already fading there's nothing you can do." He tells him and smiles a content look on his face even though he has those injuries and is fading away as he says.

Nox looks up at Night and I see his eyes widen in shock then shake his head. "You can't die! It wasn't your fault we can find Len and stop him! Just hold on." He says standing up and places his hand on Night's shoulder but rather than rest on it Nox's hand slips right through Night and it falls to his side where he looks at it perplexed then to Night. "But what about your son? Are telling me that you will just leave him before he even sees you?" He demands in a raised voice as Night's silver eyes soften and he smiles laughing softly.

_Why is he laughing? Does he think that not being able to see his son is funny? _I think confused by his actions then focus when he starts talking after Nox demands to know why he is laughing and that the matter is not funny, which I agree with. "I know Nox…so I'm asking you watch out for my boy until he grows old enough to take care of himself and even then make sure he stays on the right track for me." He sincerely says looking at Nox with a calm expression and pulls off a small necklace that has some sort of shiny black cloth, I'm guessing satin or silk, for the string and a silver-white crescent moon. "My medallion will you give it to him?" He asks handing it to Nox who takes it and stares at it a mixture of emotions on his face. Night flinches and holds his side as he starts to fade to nothing his form barely visible but still able to be seen from the soft silver glow that surrounds him.

"Night!" Nox exclaims putting the medallion in his pocket and kneels by the fading man, I step forward and walk toward Night until I'm kneeling beside him too alongside Nox who doesn't seem to notice me but Night looks right at me and smiles. "Night wait just a little longer." Nox pleads and looks around as if searching for something going right over me but looks when Night completely fades with a last, "Tell my wife I said bye and I am truly sorry I didn't get to see our son born." I stand and look at the small bits of light that float upwards towards the heavens and breathe in awe as the silver lights fade into the clouds which start to pour down harder than before almost like the sky was crying at his loss. I lower my head and whisper a silent prayer then open my eyes and see the scene gone replaced with a clear night with a crescent moon hanging low in the sky bigger than any other moon I've ever seen before.

"You are the Crusnik?" Night asks appearing beside me a curious expression on his face. Startled I jump and fall onto the soft ground when I look beneath me I see that I landed in a plush green field of soft moss surrounded by a grove of evergreens with the moon in the center. "I did not mean to scare you Crusnik but I did not expect you to be so…what is the word? Oh yes so friendly looking or sentimental." He tells me walking closer and examines me with observant eyes that I feel digging deep within my soul searching me, discovering my every secret, never before have I felt so defenseless, like a newly hatched bird prone and exposed for the entire world to see. I'm frozen in place, I can't move, no matter how hard I will my eyes to break away from his I can't I feel powerless then suddenly I'm free when he looks away. "Interesting." He muses not looking at me as I gasp for air realizing I hadn't took a single breath while he was peering into my very being.

"You…how?" I ask my voice trembling like a leaf the same with my entire body. He looks at me a moment and I see his expression soften as he kneels beside me and places a hand on my shoulder.

"Do not worry Crusnik I did not see everything just what I needed to see if you were the Crusnik I had seen in my visions oh and I may have peeked to see your dark secrets." He tells me and I quickly look up at him in shock only to have him laugh. "I'm joking Crusnik do not worry I would never do such a thing your secrets are yours alone not mine to poke and prod at as I wish." He tells me in a kind tone and I feel my previous confusion and fear subside replacing itself with a calm safe feeling, something about how he holds himself and the air about him just makes this…spirit something I can relax around.

"You are not funny." I tell him earning a chuckle from the man. "How are you here Night?" I ask him and see his playful expression vanish as a worry feeling squirms its way back into my stomach making me shiver slightly and second guess myself for asking that.

"I…am dead but this is my world." He explains swallowing and looks away. "I am not sure how I ended up here I only awoke here a short while ago but I suppose I am to stay until my son no longer needs me…I am supposed to help him find his way, guide him even I suppose." He continues looking up at the large moon that shines and I see a confused look on his face. _He said he woke up here not too long ago and he has no idea how he got here…I suppose he's telling the truth. _I think and then remember the part he said about guiding his son which brings up another question on top of the already mounting ones.

"Night who is your son?" I ask without realizing the words have left my mouth until it's is too late and I see his shocked expression but it quickly vanishes into a sincere look.

"Why not take a guess Crusnik who do I remind you of? He looks like me…in a way." Night answers looking at the grove of trees a moment then turns to me with a smile that just dares me to answer his question when I have no idea.

At first I blink stumped but I have a feeling he is not going to simply tell me which leaves me no choice but look at him closely. How he stands and his demeanor remind me of Leon in a way but I know he's not related to Leon! _This is impossible how am I supposed to know who looks like him? _I think frustrated with the man and then as I look at him once more about to tell him I have no clue I see him gazing up at the stars a look of longing on his face his eyes half open as he seems to imagine being somewhere else. _I know that look. _I think the resemblance suddenly dawning on me though he looked nearly the opposite in every other way Night greatly resembled an older…Shadow if that's possible. _Could it be? I doubt it but surely he would not have asked me such a question if I did not know his son…so it must be. _I think shaking my head and look around trying to find the man who has vanished and suddenly I see him hovering over me looking at me upside down. "AH!" I exclaim and stumble backwards barely catching myself before I fall backwards.

"Sorry Crusnik but you looked lost I was making sure you were still…awake I suppose even if you aren't actually awake." Night muses and I see him floating in the air above me but lands beside me and smiles. "So any idea on who my child is?" He asks before I can recover from my shock and ask about his words how I am awake but not actually awake. _He is a very confusing man. _I think and look around a moment suddenly not so sure of my answer but somehow I feel like it's right.

"I'm not entirely sure but you do remind me of Shadow…except older." I answer in an unsure tone not entirely confident with my answer but it seems right and Night confirms it by nodding an unreadable expression on his face. "Why do you need to guide him? How are you guiding?" I ask him without thinking and see him sigh a deep sigh before turning to the moon looking above me.

I'm not sure how long he just stands there gazing at the moon with a thoughtful look on his face but his eyes hold pain. "An old friend is lost Shadow needs to bring him back…somehow." He whispers not even looking at me but closes his eyes and sighs then looks back to the moon. "As for the how of your question, I communicate to him through his subconscious he doesn't know I'm real though he thinks I'm his…conscious if you will." He adds looking down from the moon to me a moment then walks over to a large smooth white boulder and sits down on it then motions for me to come over and sit by him.

At first I simply look around for someone else and when he rolls his eyes and motions again not saying a word I point to myself. "Me?" I ask even though I know no one else is around he rolls his eyes and huffs.

"No your shadow, yes you! Who else is here?" Night barks shaking his head and grumbles something under his breath. _Sarcasm must run in the family along with little patience. _I think slumping a bit and walk over to the boulder. "You are not what I expected Crusniks to act like." He tells me after I get onto the rock and sit across from him.

"How did you expect us to act like?" I ask him wondering how he even knew about us when he died before any of the things that are happening now even occurred. "May I ask you something else?" I ask after a few moments of him mulling over his answers, or at least it appears that way to me. He looks at me a moment before nodding and goes back to his thoughts. "How do you know about the Crusniks? And who is your old friend that is lost?" I ask him and see him look at me again but say nothing not even nod or shake his head. _That may not have been the best thing to ask or at least how to ask it. _I guiltily think and start to apologize but stop when he holds up a finger.

"Not my place to discuss who but as for how I am psychic and know all." He bluntly answers in a serious tone then looks at me and makes a weird face. "Crusnik don't worry I'm not either of those well I might be slightly psychic but I had visions of the future every now and then." He explains shrugging and I feel my head start to throb slightly, it's nothing serious so I ignore and try to focus on his words of explaining how he knew about us but the throbbing grows more intense and he stops. "Headache Crusnik?" He asks me as the pain stops and lowers to a more manageable level. "You have probably been here for too long then." He tells me rubbing his rubbing his chin thinking before he looks at me then the moon.

"What do you mean I've been here too long?" I ask holding my head relieved when the pain starts to subside.

"Well you see you're still asleep and you only get four hours of REM which is the time in which you visit here." Night explains in a very calm scientific manner. "But you also had another dream prior to here which lasted oh around two to three hours even if it didn't feel like it and then you come here so yes it is about time for you to go into a deeper sleep." He continues and looks and pats me on the back. "Do not worry Crusnik we may meet again." He says as I begin to feel dizzy and the world starts to spin.

"Wait why do you call me Crusnik? I've been wondering for some time but…in case you didn't know my name is Abel." I tell him closing my eyes and don't hear his reply only feel a weightless feeling for a moment or two then start to fall…

Abel jumps in his sleep and wakes himself up from the shock of falling. "That was…weird."  
>He murmurs laying back down and pulls the covers up under his chin then nestles down and quickly falls asleep.<p>

_**Shadow: I was starting to think she forgot about us!**_

_**Alma: Dude she did forget about us.**_

_**Author:*sigh* I'm not saying anything! Well I hope you guys liked it.**_


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